


When Skies Fall

by JoyScott13



Category: Falling Skies
Genre: (the major character death is obvious if you've seen the show!), Aliens, Angst, Brothers, Canon Compliant, Character Death, Character missing, Complete, Eventually meet the 2nd Mass, Family, Fighting, From invasion to pilot, Hurt/Comfort, Invasion, Pre-Invasion, Pre-Series, Prequel, Science Fiction, Some violence and injury, War, tw blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:51:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 36,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7963135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyScott13/pseuds/JoyScott13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow the Masons from the day before the ships arrive, to the day Tom and Hal left for the food scout in the pilot. The terror and pain that they face shapes them into the people we have come to know and love. Disaster and death leaves them more dependent on each other than ever before. Sacrifices and drastic decisions have to be made if they don't want to lose everything...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

            Tom stared blankly at the pile of papers he still had left to grade. He loved his job, he loved sharing his passion for history with his students, and he loved the feeling of pride as he helped them reach their full potential. He’d always done whatever he could to spark that same interest and passion in his boys, and he knew that to a certain extent he’d succeeded. Ben had always been eager to learn, always asking questions, wanting to know more, and Tom would often catch him researching something they’d discussed days later. Matt was still a little young to be too interested in all the apparently _boring_ details, but Tom usually managed to find a way to make the subject at least a little bit entertaining for his youngest son. Hal was the biggest challenge, always insisting that it was dull and not interesting and that Tom was so _embarrassing_ for bringing up historical anecdotes in front of his friends. However Tom knew that deep down Hal _was_ interested, and _was_ listening; that behind the eye rolls and _whatevers_ was an actual interest in what Tom was saying. It always made him smile when he overheard Hal bringing up those same historical anecdotes with his friends, something that happened more frequently that Hal would ever admit.

The feeling of pride he received from enlightening young minds did nothing, however, to make the thought of grading a seemingly endless pile of papers late on a Thursday night any more appealing. Flicking on the TV, Tom settled on a news channel to use as background noise to help break the tedium.

As Tom finished what felt like the hundredth paper, the start of the next news story began to filter through into his consciousness. The news reader was saying something about NASA, and unusual objects being picked up in space. Just as Tom was focusing on what was being said, the channel was abruptly changed to a baseball game, and Hal collapsed onto the sofa next to him, dropping the remote at his side.

“You weren’t watching that, were you?” Hal asked, not taking his eyes from the game. Tom sighed, shaking his head, “I was, but I guess it doesn’t matter. I really should be marking these.” He gestured at the depressingly large pile of papers.

“Ouch,” Hal laughed, “Have fun with that.”

“I wouldn’t laugh if I was you,” Rebecca came to stand behind the sofa, “Have you finished your homework already?” Hal looked up at her and smiled sweetly.

“I’ll do it in the morning.” He promised.

“You have early morning Lacrosse practice tomorrow Hal and I highly doubt you’ll be getting up early enough to get your homework done before then”.

“But it’s the Red Sox against the Yankees mom, I _have_ to watch it! And I don’t have that much homework; I can get it done after.” He pleaded, looking up at her beseechingly.

“Fine, but if it isn’t finished tonight I will take your car keys for a week. I’m not sure Rita would be too happy about that.” Rebecca tried to hold her strict expression, but she couldn’t help but smile as the grin on Hal’s face from being allowed to watch the game became a little uncertain at the idea of his girlfriend’s reaction to having to walk instead of being driven everywhere.

“Mo-om,” Matt’s whining voice carried from the kitchen, “I’m stuck again.”

“I could help him,” Tom offered, starting to stand up. Matt hated math class, and was a nightmare when he got stuck on his math homework, but Tom would do anything to put off the grading he had to do.

“No, no, no. You have work to do.” Rebecca said pointedly, raising her eyebrows to let Tom know she knew exactly what he was trying to do, before muttering “Sometimes it’s like I have four children, all complaining about having to do their homework.” Tom sank back into the sofa and reluctantly picked up the next paper.

“Just make sure you get it done tonight Hal.” Rebecca ruffled her eldest son’s hair as she left the room, mentally preparing herself for the struggle she faced proving to Matt that just because he didn’t _like_ something, didn’t mean it was impossible. Tom looked at Hal in amusement as he tried to flatten his hair and make it look _cool_ again, before picking up his red pen ready to scrawl all over another student’s work. Before he could start he heard feet pounding down the stairs and looked up to see Ben enter the room.

“Dad, can I put a film on?” Ben asked, holding up an anime DVD that he had borrowed from one of his friends. Hal replied before Tom could, “Can’t you see I’m watching a game?”

“You had the TV last night; it’s only fair that I get it tonight.” Ben insisted.

“Yeah well, mom already said I could watch this, so tough luck little brother.” Hal’s tone was condescending and Tom wondered if he should intervene before this turned into yet another full blown argument.

“You got the TV for hours yesterday, when Rita was here, so it’s my turn tonight. Anyway, do you really have to make the rest of us suffer yet another boring basketball game?”

“It’s clearly baseball, Ben, and anyway, you can just watch your geeky film in your room on your laptop. You don’t need to bother the rest of us with it.”

“Boys-” Tom started wearily, but Ben ignored him, “Anyway, shouldn’t you be doing that history report due in on Monday. I heard you say you hadn’t started it yet!”

“That has nothing to do with this!” Hal snapped, with a quick glance at his father. Tom was usually a fairly laid back parent, letting Rebecca be the strict one, but the one thing he would not tolerate was the boys neglecting their school work, particularly if that school work was history related.

“You haven’t started your history report yet?” Tom tried to keep his tone calm, “I thought that’s why you went to the library last weekend!”

“He was with Rita.” Ben said with a smug smile on his face.

“You snitch!” Hal snapped furiously.

“I still can’t believe you bought the _library_ excuse, from Hal of all people.” Ben laughed.

“Ben, Hal, that’s enough.” Tom started, stopping Hal from replying and the situation from deteriorating further, “I thought you said you didn’t have much homework to do tonight, Hal. That reports due in on Monday, and it’s Thursday today. You have a lacrosse game tomorrow night and you know we’re going camping this weekend. When were you planning to write this report?” Tom asked a little incredulously.

“I guess I forgot about it.” Hal admitted sheepishly, avoiding making eye contact with Tom, hoping he could get out of this without being grounded.

“Go upstairs, start working on it right now. I want you to spend every spare minute you have from now until Monday morning on that report, and I want you to make it the best thing you’ve ever written.”

“But-” Hal started to protest, but stopped when he saw the look on Tom’s face. Sighing, he stood up and began to make his way out of the room, turning back when he heard his father say his name.

“I’ll need your car keys, just until you get it done.” Tom could see Hal wanted to protest, so he added, “For lying about where you were going last weekend. Be thankful it’s just your car keys.”

With an air of triumph, Ben opened the DVD case and started to walk towards the TV. Hal purposefully knocked into him on his way out of the room, prompting an “Ow!” from Ben. Hal apologised without a drop of sincerity.

“Dumb jock.” Ben snapped, rubbing his shoulder.

“Math geek snitch.” Hal retorted, fully aware of how childishly he was behaving, but too annoyed to care.

“Hey, you can’t fault me for worrying about my big brother’s education. I’m just concerned for your future.” Ben’s tone was earnest, but he couldn’t help but smile as Hal shook his head, giving a final “ _whatever_ ” before slouching his way upstairs.

Ben was just about to put the DVD on when Matt came bounding into the room, screaming, “Hal, mom said I could-” he paused for a moment, noticing that Hal wasn’t there, before looking from Ben to the disc in his hand. He started again “Ben, mom said I could watch whatever I wanted because I finished my homework and I worked really hard on it.”

Ben started to protest, but stopped when he saw Matt’s puppy dog eyes.

“Fine! I give up!” Ben dropped the DVD next to the television, “I’ll just go read instead.” He shrugged off Matt’s hug before making his way upstairs.

“I’m giving up too!” Tom declared, as Matt selected a particularly loud show to watch, “There’s too much noise in this house tonight for me to get anything else done.”

            Rebecca came into the room, “I thought you said that these were urgent?” She asked.

            “They are, but I can stay late at work tomorrow to finish them off.”

            Rebecca glanced at Matt, but he seemed to be engrossed in what he was watching rather than listening to his parents’ conversation.

            In a slightly quieter voice, Rebecca continued, “No you can’t. You said you were going to Hal’s game tomorrow, remember. You were going to surprise him.”

             Tom looked a little uneasy, “I know, but I really need to get this done, and my head’s all over the place tonight from the boys’ arguing. I’ll go to the next one, I promise.” Rebecca fixed him a pointed look, before sighing and going to the kitchen. Tom followed her at once.

            “He won’t notice that I’m not there! It’s not like I’m breaking a promise to him.”

            “Of course he’ll notice! He asks you almost every week if you’re going to be there, and he always checks with me before the game to see if you’ve managed to make it. Hal’s a senior now, he’s not going to be at school much longer, there aren’t that many more of these games for you to go to, or for you to miss. One day you’re going to realise you regret not going, and there’ll be nothing you can do about it, and all Hal will remember is the feeling of disappointment.” As Rebecca finished her rant, Tom paused to let it sink in. She looked a little apologetically at him, “I just mean that Hal would really appreciate you being there, even though he’d never say so, and I know that in the years to come you’ll appreciate the memories too.”

            “You’re right.” Tom nodded, “You’re always right. I’m sorry. I promise I will go to the next one; I will make sure I’m free. I really do have a lot of work to do tomorrow, but I’ll make sure I’m free for the next one. Okay?”

            “Okay.” Rebecca smiled, pulling Tom into an embrace, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off the rails at you. I just want what’s best for you and Hal.”

            “I know.” Tom smiled back, “And anyway, Hal’s in trouble at the moment, so I probably shouldn’t make tomorrow the day I surprise him.”

            “What did he do now?” Rebecca pulled back from the embrace.

            “He hasn’t started that history report yet. Oh, and he lied about going to the library last weekend.” Rebecca looked at him questioningly.

            “Where was he really?”

            “Rita.” Was all Tom offered in response.

            “Rita.” Rebecca repeated, “Of course.”

            “Of course.” Tom agreed with a small smile.

 

***

 

            Tom shut Ben’s bedroom door as quietly as he could. He knew Ben was far too old to have his dad read to him, but Tom had to admit he was happy that Ben didn’t mind when it came to the Harry Potter books. He’d always enjoyed reading to Ben the most; Hal had always asked too many questions and got bored if the characters didn’t do what he wanted them to do, and Matt complained that reading was too much like school to be fun. Ben was the most intent listener, soaking it all up, and he always asked for Tom to read on just a little bit more. Tonight was the perfect example of that, and Tom had read with Ben for longer than he’d intended too. Even though Tom was fairly certain Ben had read on to the end of the last Harry Potter book, in secret, years ago, he was glad that Ben still let his father read to him. It made him sad to think that they were half way through the seventh book, and that this would be his last opportunity to enjoy such a simple pleasure.

            Peeking into Matt’s room, Tom was pleased to see that he was sleeping peacefully, his face lit by the gentle glow of the night light. Matt said that he just liked the light, insisting that it was in no way because he was afraid of the dark, because he was far too old to be afraid of the dark, and anyway, neither Hal or Ben were afraid of the dark and Matt just wanted to be like his big brothers. Creeping into the room, Tom brushed Matt’s hair away from his face and kissed him on the forehead.

            “Have sweet dreams Matty.” He whispered before making his way back into the hallway. The next room he came to was Hal’s, and noticing the light was on Tom knocked before entering. He found Hal sitting at his desk, typing frantically on his keyboard.

            “Hal, it’s gone eleven o’clock, you have to be up early tomorrow, you really should get to bed.” Officially Hal was old enough not to have a bed time now, but Tom couldn’t help but _try_ to enforce a more lenient one.

            “I know, but I’m working on that report, and I know I should have done it earlier, and I’m sorry I lied, but I’ve started now, and I think I’m on a roll.” Hal looked at his father as if he wasn’t sure how Tom was going to respond.

            “Thank you for apologising Hal.” Tom started, walking into the room, “You’ve got time to work on it when you get home tomorrow, and we’ll head back slightly earlier on Sunday to make sure you have time to finish it. But you’ve got a game tomorrow, and an early morning practice, you need to get some rest.” Hal nodded, and Tom waited as he shut down his computer. As soon as he stood up, Tom pulled him into a hug.

            “Good luck in your game tomorrow, and I’m really sorry I can’t be there.”

            “It’s okay dad, we should win it easily anyway.”

            Pulling back, Tom laughed, “It’s good to be confident, but don’t be too confident.”

            “I’m just being honest!” Hal laughed. Tom gave his shoulder a quick squeeze before saying good night and making his way to the room he shared with Rebecca.

            “Are the boys all asleep?” Rebecca asked, settling down into the bed.

            “More or less,” Tom replied with a smile. Switching off the light, Tom climbed into bed beside his wife.

            “You remember that pottery class I was telling you about?” Rebecca asked, continuing after Tom nodded “Well, there are a few more spaces, and I thought it might be fun for us to join it together. We’re both free on a Wednesday, and Hal could watch his brothers.”

            “I’m sure he’ll love that.” Tom laughed.

            “But seriously, I’ve been wanting us to do something like this for ages. It’ll be fun. I’ve already put my name down, all you need to do is sign up online. I could even do it.”

            “Sure. I’ll just double check my work schedule, and then sign up soon.”

            “You’d better hurry, the spaces are going fast.” Rebecca pleaded a little.

            “I should be free. No, I’ll make sure I am. You can sign me up tomorrow once the boys have left for school and you’ve got some peace and quiet.”

            “Thank you.” Rebecca smiled, cuddling closer to her husband, “I know you’re not convinced, but it _will_ be fun. And a chance for us to spend some time together, without the boys.”

            “Now that I do like the sound of.” Tom laughed again, “I’m sorry it seems like I’m working all the time. It’s a busy time of year, and the Dean’s position might be opening up soon. I need to make a good impression.”

            “I know, it’s just recently it feels like it would take the end of the world as we know it for you to spend a little more time with your family. I miss you.”

            “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be home more, I promise. I love you and the boys more than anything, and if I could I’d spend every waking hour with you, you know that.”

            “I do.” Rebecca smiled as Tom wrapped his arms around her.

            “And you know full well that I’d rather live through an apocalypse then grade any more papers or attend any more meetings. I’d take battling zombies over another meeting with the board any day.”


	2. Chapter 2

            The first indication Tom had that something unusual was going on was the sudden increase in noise and commotion from outside his lecture room. He was about halfway through his last lecture before lunch, and at this time of day the halls were normally quiet. Nevertheless, Tom continued with his lecture, speaking a little louder to prevent the outside noise from drowning him out. It wasn’t long before he noticed the incessant buzzing of his phone in his pocket, and the fact that it seemed that most of his student’s phones were ringing too. Normally he’d be annoyed that so many students had their phones switched on in his class, but something seemed off this time. Pausing for a moment, Tom took out his phone and checked the caller ID; Rebecca. Tom frowned, knowing that she had a copy of his timetable clipped to the fridge so she would know that he was in the middle of a lecture. Just as he was weighing up whether or not he should answer the phone to see what was wrong, one of his students called out, “Professor, I think we should look outside. Apparently there’s something weird in the sky!” Tom’s phone buzzed again, and this time he saw a SMS from Rebecca, which simply read: ‘Have you seen it? I don’t know what to do. Please answer your phone.’

            “Okay, let’s all go outside to see what’s going on.” Tom announced, “But if it’s just some prank I’ll need everyone to come straight back here, this is an important lecture for your exams, and we’ll carry on a little into lunch, okay?” His announcement was met by a few groans, but most of his students just seemed intrigued about what was going on outside. Tom waited for the last of them to trickle out, before he followed them into the hall. People were crammed by the windows, some shouting, many of them desperately speaking into their phones. Tom’s was ringing again, but he ignored it for now. He still needed to see what was going on. Spotting Tom, and recognising him as a professor, many of the students moved out of the way so that Tom managed to get a clear view out of the window.

            “Oh my god.” He couldn’t help but exclaim. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been this. Hovering over central Boston was some sort of ship… some sort of space ship… not moving, not attacking, not waving a white flag of good intention… just hovering above the city. The news story he’d half listened to the night before flickered in the back of his mind.

            “What’s going on Professor?” one of his students asked him, confusion and fear clear on her face.

            “I have no idea, I wish I did. I think-” Tom paused as the Dean’s voice was broadcast over the PA system, advising everyone to return to their homes if they lived in Boston, or to go to the main canteen to await further instructions if they lived on campus, and that the senior management and site staff would meet them there. For once Tom was glad he’d never been promoted to the senior management team. Noticing that none of the students around him seemed to be moving, Tom raised his voice so that he could be heard throughout the hall way.

“Stay calm, don’t panic, I’m sure everything will be explained in time. It’s probably just a prank or some kind. Just stay calm, and stick together, and follow the Dean’s instructions.” Once they started to disperse, Tom returned the now empty lecture room, and finally answered his phone.

            “Tom? Thank god, you wouldn’t answer, and I kept trying, and then Hal and Ben wouldn’t answer, and Matt’s school’s phone was engaged, and I didn’t know what to do. What is that thing?” Tom could hear the stress in Rebecca’s voice, and knew she’d been working herself up into a panic. He felt a little guilty that he hadn’t answered his phone sooner.

            “Rebecca, sweetheart, slow down. Calm down. Everything’s okay.”

            “Okay?!?! Have you seen that thing? And Hal and Ben aren’t answering, why aren’t they answering? Hal’s just rings like yours did, and Ben’s goes straight to voicemail.” Rebecca was clearly still panicking, not that Tom could really blame her.

            “Just slow down and listen to me. Everyone’s panicking about this thing in the sky, but for now it doesn’t seem to be doing anything but hovering. Hal and Ben are at school, their phones are probably switched off or on silent mode. But they are fine, there’s no reason for them not to be fine. Okay?”

            “Okay.” Her voice was quiet on the other end of the phone, but she sounded calmer.

            “I’m heading home now, I’ll be there soon. You keep trying to get through to Hal, I’ll try Ben, although I’m sure they’re together. Tell them to head home, carefully, together. You go to Matt’s school, and bring him home. Once we’re all home together this won’t seem as scary, and we can wait to see what’s happening. Just stay calm.”

            “Okay. Just get home safely, okay?”

            “You too. I’ll see you at home with the boys. I love you.”

            “I love you too.” Tom just stood there in silence for a moment after the phone went dead. Now that he’d sorted out his immediate plan of action, the truth of the situation was starting to hit home. They could all be in very real danger, and there was no way of knowing what would happen next.

 

***

 

            It hadn’t been long after the spaceship, or whatever it was, had appeared in the sky that the Principal had made the announcement that school was cancelled for the day, and that they should all head home to await further information. Rita had been slightly hysterical, and Hal had waited with her until she made contact with her father, who was apparently already on his way to the school to make sure his daughter got home safely. Once he was sure she was okay, Hal had begun his search for his brother. The halls were packed with panicked people, ignoring their teachers requests for calm, and it had taken Hal longer than he expected to fight his way to Ben’s locker. Thankfully he’d found his brother there, and Hal had been unable to supress a smile at the sight of Ben packing his bag full of his school books, even on the day that school was cancelled in due to the arrival of an alien spaceship.

            Once it had finally occurred to the boys to check their own phones, they managed to make contact with their parents. At first Tom and Rebecca had been insistent that Hal and Ben should head straight home, but they had convinced them that they should meet their mom at Matt’s school, as it was only slightly out of the way on their walk home, and that Matt was probably scared and they were the closest to him.

            “This would be so much easier if you had your car!” Ben complained as he and Hal struggled to make their way through the packed streets. Everyone was desperately trying to get to their loved ones, or to get home, and the streets were packed. The cars on the roads, however, were mostly driving as they usually would; if anything a few drivers were being _more_ careful now.

            “Well, we both know whose fault it is that dad took my keys, don’t we!” Hal snapped, more out of habit than because he was actually annoyed.

            “Yeah, yours for lying to mom and dad.” Ben wasn’t really sure why he was trying to start a fight with Hal, given the current situation, but arguing with Hal felt normal, and right now anything normal felt pretty good.

            “Dad wouldn’t have found out-” Hal started, before glancing up at the ship in the sky, and deciding not to bother, “Whatever.” Ben followed his older brother’s gaze and decided to just leave it at that.

            Matt’s school was almost more chaotic than theirs had been, with frantic parents desperately trying to get to their children. Following directions given by frazzled looking teachers, Hal and Ben made their way to the school gym where the kids had been gathered together.

            “Do you think mom’s here yet?” Ben asked, craning his head to look for her.

            “Doubt it.” Was all Hal responded as they entered the crowded gym, “Can you see Matt?”

            Ben laughed a little, “He’s so small, how are we ever going to spot him?”

            “HAL! BEN!” Matt screamed from a little way behind them.

            “I think he spotted us.” Hal said as he turned to towards the sound of Matt’s voice. Matt to threw his arms around his oldest brother with so much force that he made him stumble backwards. Hal hugged him back quickly, before pulling away and asking “Are you okay buddy?”

            Matt paused for a second, giving his brothers a cautious look, before he started to speak, his words coming out in a jumbled rush. “That spaceship arrived and James said it was definitely aliens and that they were going to eat us like in a film he saw. Sarah started crying and Mrs Blake got cross. And then I was waiting here and it felt like ages but no one came and I thought no one was coming for me and then I got really scared and-” Matt paused to take a breath, and Ben seized the chance to interrupt his flow.

            “We’re here Matt, and mom’s on her way. We just need to meet her, and then we’ll all go home and wait for dad.” Ben soothed, trying to sound as sure and confident as he could, despite the fact that he was in no way feeling sure or confident.

            “Yeah squirt, nothing to worry about.” Hal added with a smile, ruffling Matt’s hair.

            “I wasn’t worried.” Matt said quickly, “Or scared. Not really.” Hal and Ben exchanged a smile over Matt’s head; Matt always tried so hard to act like his brothers, and did his best to never let them think he was scared of anything.

            “Course you weren’t.” Hal replied, glancing around the gym, checking to see if Rebecca had arrived while they were talking, “Let’s head outside and find mom.”

 

***

 

            Rebecca hadn’t tried to park in the school’s parking lot. Instead, she’d found a space down a side street nearby. As she walked the short distance to the school she couldn’t help but worry that something had happened to her boys. She knew it was stupid: nothing had actually happened, except that an unexplained object had appeared in the sky. There had been no fighting, no real threat, but she couldn’t shake the fear. From the brief look she’d had at the news before she left home, Boston wasn’t the only city in the world to have received an unexpected visitor, and no one seemed to have a clue what was going on. She was staring at the ship when she heard Matt’s cry of “mom!” and looked up to see him hurtling towards her, his brothers close behind. As soon as they were close enough she pulled all three of her sons into an embrace, letting out a massive sigh of relief. They were safe, her boys were safe. For now.

            “Are you okay mom?” Matt asked, his voice sounding a little muffled from how he was squashed in the middle of the hug.

            “Of course I am, we’re together now. There’s nothing to worry about.” Rebecca stated confidently, but the fact that she was still gripping her sons tightly showed that she had been worried, and still was.

            “Mom,” Ben started a minute or so later, “You might want to let us go so we can get home and find dad.” Rebecca gave a slightly embarrassed laugh before releasing her sons.

            “Sorry, I guess I was just relieved to see you all.” She studied each of their faces for a second, as if to reassure herself that they were okay, before her eyes were drawn to the ominous ship in the sky, and she couldn’t help but shiver. “Let’s go home and wait for your father.”

 

***

 

            As soon as Tom walked through his front door he was almost tackled to the ground by his youngest son.

            “It’s good to see you too Matt.” Tom smiled, feeling an unexpected sense of relief to have come home to find his family safe. He found the rest of them sat around the TV, listening so intently that they hardly looked up to greet him. Normally Tom would have been surprised to see Hal and Ben so engrossed in the news, but he supposed it shouldn’t come as a shock given today’s events. Tom and Rebecca exchanged a brief look that conveyed their relief that their family was home safe, and all their fears about the situation, before Rebecca gestured for Tom to sit with them.

            “President Hathaway’s about to make a speech.” She explained. Tom quickly settled on the sofa between Hal and Ben, and let Matt climb unto his lap. On a normal day Matt would be complaining that they were being too boring, just watching the news, but today he sensed that this was important enough for him to stay quiet.

            The president’s speech was brief, and he refused to answer any questions. He urged everyone to remain at home, and not to make any journeys unless they were strictly necessary, and to ensure they checked the news stations for any updates. He stated that the government was assessing the situation in conjunction with governments from around the world, and that every attempt to make contact with these visitors was being made. He urged that while this situation was very real and should be taken seriously, there was no need for panic as there has been no sign of aggression, although Tom couldn’t help but hear the _yet_ missing from the end of that sentence. All air traffic, other than that of any official and important state business, was being grounded until further notice. His speech ended with an additional request for calm, and for everyone to remain in their homes until more information could be gathered about exactly what was going on.

“Well, it’s a good thing I did a food shop yesterday then, isn’t it?” Rebecca said as brightly as she could.

“So, there’s nothing to worry about?” Matt asked hopefully, “We just get to start the weekend early?”

“Exactly. Nothing to worry about.” Tom smiled, but his eyes were concerned as they met Rebecca’s across the room.

“Awesome. A break from school work.” Hal was grinning, relaxing back into the sofa.

“Not for you.” Tom turned to look at him, “This gives you the perfect opportunity to finish that history report, don’t you think?” Hal just stared at him for a moment.

“You can’t be serious!” he protested, sitting upright again.

“I’m deadly serious. Now you can spend the time on it you were supposed to last weekend.”

“Might as well start now, get it finished sooner.” Rebecca added, with a kind yet strict smile. With a dramatic sigh Hal made his way out of the room, grumbling that “It’s so unfair. Aliens arrive and I _still_ have to do this stupid report. It just so unfair.” Tom and Rebecca’s eyes met again, and they laughed.

“Have fun!” Ben called after his brother. He responded to his mother’s raised eyebrows with a shrug and an overly innocent “What?”

“I’m bored.” Matt stated, as though the arrival of an unexplained alien ship had already become uninteresting to him. He jumped up and stood in front of his father expectantly, waiting to be entertained.

“We do have some time to kill.” Tom mused, before suggesting, “We haven’t played monopoly in a while?”

“I’ll get the board!” Matt cried excitedly, running from the room. Suddenly the phone began to ring, making them all jump.

“It’s probably my parents again, they phoned earlier.” Rebecca stood up, walking towards the phone, “They want to travel up to be with us.”

“Is that safe?” Tom asked, “I agree with the president, I think we’re all safer just staying home and staying safe and avoiding trouble.”

“I know, I’ll tell them.” She replied sadly, before answering the phone and walking into the kitchen.

“Dad, it’s all going to be okay, right?” Ben asked, surprising Tom with the intensity of his voice, “I mean, what do you think those things are?” Tom paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer. All he wanted was to be able to reassure Ben that of course everything was going to be okay, but he wasn’t sure if that was the truth or not, and Ben was old enough not to be lied to about things like this.

“If I’m honest, Ben, I don’t know. I really hope so, but I don’t know. There’s no sign of danger yet, so we can only hope. All that matters now is that we’re together and we’re safe. As long as that’s true, then I think we’re going to be just fine.” Tom put all his belief behind his words. He truly believed that as long as he had his family with him and safe, things would be okay, and he couldn’t envision a world where that wasn’t the case.

“I want to play as the dog counter!” Matt shouted, running back into the room with the monopoly board, “And Ben’s the banker, I decided.”

“Thanks dad.” Ben said quietly with a small smile, before turning to Matt and joining in his light hearted monopoly chatter. Rebecca followed Matt into the room, with a bemused smile on her face. Tom looked at her questioningly.

“That was Julian’s mom on the phone. She wanted to know if Hal was going to the lacrosse game tonight, and if it was still on, especially after what the president said.” Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh.

“Really?” For as long as Hal had been friends with Julian, Tom and Rebecca had been perplexed and frustrated by his mother. She was always late to everything, and extremely forgetful, but this seemed a little too incredulous, even for her.

“Really.” Rebecca confirmed.

“Some people.” Tom laughed and Rebecca nodded in agreement.

“Mo-om, da-ad, you need to pick a counter.” Matt whined, eager to start. Tom and Rebecca turned back to their younger sons, and settled down for a traditional Mason afternoon of Monopoly.


	3. Chapter 3

            The next day it almost felt like everything had gone back to normal. The only thing that suggested otherwise was the eerie silence on the streets, and the absence of planes weaving their way through the sky. And of course the mysterious ship hovering, unmoving, over central Boston. Rebecca caught herself more than once smiling because she had Tom home for the weekend, without any work to distract him. She immediately felt guilty for feeling happy, when the wider situation was still potentially so serious. But her family were together and safe, and she couldn’t help the feeling of contentment that came with that.

            Tom had cooked Saturday breakfast for his family, like he often did, hoping that it would help to keep Matt feeling calm and normal. They’d played monopoly until even Matt was bored of it, and by Saturday evening they’d been through every board game they had.

            “Be-en,” Matt whined again, “Please, please, please come play with me. We could play catch or _anything_. I’m bored!”

“I’m reading.” Ben responded for the hundredth time.

“Hal would play with me if I asked him.” Matt insisted, hoping this would work to make Ben agree. It didn’t.

“Then go ask Hal.” Ben didn’t look away from his book.

“Hal’s still doing homework. Please Ben?” Matt pleaded, using his best puppy dog eyes. He waited a moment, and when Ben still didn’t look up Matt’s expression became decidedly sulkier.

“Well, you’re just boring and rubbish.” Matt told Ben, before collapsing on the sofa dramatically, and crossing his arms to exaggerate the fact that he was not happy.

            “You got that right buddy, Ben’s the most boring and rubbish of them all.” Hal replied with a laugh as he entered the room holding a few sheets of paper. He tousled Matt’s hair, before asking, “Where’s dad?”

            “In the kitchen, jerk.” Ben answered, still not moving his eyes from his book.

            Hal found his father in the kitchen, having a quiet conversation with Rebecca. He could tell from their expressions that they were talking about something serious, most probably the ship in the sky, and he considered walking out and not interrupting them. Before he could decide, they noticed his presence and stopped their conversation abruptly.

            “Is everything okay?” Tom asked, rubbing his eyes; Hal could see that both his parents were feeling very stressed, despite how hard they were trying to act like everything was fine. But Hal had always been good at pretending everything was okay and making bad situations less so by just ignoring them to the best of his ability.

            “I finally finished that report!” He smiled, waving the printed sheets in his hand. Tom was out of his chair in an instant, all traces of stress temporarily erased.

            “Let me see that.” Tom almost snatched the report from his son’s hand in his eagerness to read it through. Hal found himself feeling a little anxious as he waited for to hear his father’s opinion. He’d put a lot more effort into this than he usually did; it had been easier to forget what was going on when he focused the report. As he’d actually worked hard on this, he really wanted his father to approve of it. The sound of Matt and Ben starting to argue again wafted through from the living room, and Rebecca got up with a weary sigh. She gave Hal an encouraging smile, before making her way to see what her younger sons were fighting about.

            Sighing, Tom looked up from the last page of Hal’s report. Hal held his breath for a moment, before his father smiled, “This is great Hal, really good work!”

            Hal couldn’t help but grin back, “Really?”

            “Really. I’m proud of you.” Tom’s tone was enthusiastic. It had been clear to him that Hal had actually tried with this report, and that was all Tom had ever wanted from his eldest son when it came to his school work. And on top of that, it was actually a good piece of work. Hal’s grin grew a little wider.

“Thanks dad.” He muttered before looking away from his father, feeling slightly embarrassed. His eyes were drawn straight to the ship in the sky, and his grin faded.

“Not that it matters anymore. Who knows what’s going to happen now.” Hal’s tone was dejected, and Tom felt his own smile disappear as he followed his son’s gaze. He shook his head, placing his hands on Hal’s shoulders, recapturing his attention.

            “Of course it matters. Learning still matters. Putting effort into what you do still matters. Nothing will ever change that. Okay?” Tom finished, giving Hal a little shake, before dropping his hands back to this side. Hal nodded in response, still looking unsure. Tom was about to try to reassure his son further, when Matt came running in.

            “Hal, Hal, Hal, mom said you finished your homework! Will you play catch with me?” He begged, resorting to his puppy dog eyes on his first attempt at asking. Instantly Hal’s face changed from uncertain to completely care free, and he smiled, “Of course buddy, we need to work on your technique.”

            “Yes! You’re the best! Ben’s being boring _again_! I’ll go get the sticks!” Matt rushed off grinning. Hal waited until Matt was out of sight, and then his expression fell a little again. Tom felt another rush of pride at seeing Hal put on a brave face around Matt, to keep him from worrying, even though he wished Hal wasn’t in a situation where he had to do that. Tom handed him back his report, and Hal mumbled a thanks before turning towards to garden.

            “Hal, I really am proud of you.” Tom said, his voice swelling with emotion.

“I know dad,” he said with a roll of his eyes but as he walked away he couldn’t help but smile. Tom shook his head, before almost being knocked over by Matt, who ran past him holding two lacrosse sticks. Tom called after him, scolding him for not watching where he was going.

            In the living room Tom found Rebecca sitting staring into space, and Ben still reading. He really wanted to talk to Rebecca alone, to finish the conversation that Hal had interrupted, but he didn’t want Ben to overhear what they were saying and worry.

            “Why don’t you go and play with your brothers, Ben?” Tom suggested, sitting down next to his wife.

            “I’m reading.” Ben answered with a shrug, “And anyway, they’re just throwing a ball around. It’s hardly fun.”

            “I know Matt would love it if you joined them, and I’m sure you’d have fun.” Tom continued, “Your book will still be there later.” Tom’s tone made it clear that he wanted Ben to go outside with his brothers. Ben looked up and glanced between his parents, sensing that they wanted to be alone to talk.

            “Fine,” Ben sighed, “but if I die of boredom, you’ll be to blame.”

            Tom waited until he heard the back door close behind Ben, before he turned to Rebecca, who started to speak.

            “I checked the news just now, before you came in, and there was nothing new, other than that the President will be making another announcement at some point tomorrow. But there’s been no change, none of the ships have moved, nothing’s happened.” Rebecca informed him quickly, speaking much faster than she usually did.

            “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would these ships appear in the sky one day, and then not try to make contact. I mean they haven’t even attacked us! Just nothing!” Tom ran his fingers through his hair.

            Rebecca shook her head, “I don’t know, maybe they want to unnerve us? Put us on edge?” She laughed a little, “We don’t even know what those things are!”

             Tom nodded in agreement, before sighing, “I’m just worried about what’s going to happen. This feels more like something out of a film than our real lives. It’s crazy!”

            “What do we do if they do mean us harm? If they attack? I don’t want any of this for our boys!” Rebecca could feel tears welling in her eyes, and she fought to stop them from falling, “I just want them to be happy! I want them to do well at school and go on to college. I want them to get everything they deserve from their lives. And I just have this terrible feeling that something bad is coming, that these ships would have made contact by now if they were peaceful. I hate feeling this confused and helpless. I just want our boys to be _happy_.” Rebecca’s voice broke, and Tom pulled her close.

            “They will be, they _have_ to be. They’ve got you, haven’t they, the most kind and caring mother in the world. What more could they need?” Rebecca laughed a little, and Tom smiled before continuing, “Nothing has actually happened, not really. And we’re together. I for one know that as long as the boys are safe, and as long as I’ve got you, I can get through anything.” Rebecca pulled out of the embrace and gave Tom a tender kiss.

            “I love you, Tom Mason, where would I be without you?”

           

***

 

            24 hours later, and the situation still hadn’t changed at all. Tom and Rebecca were watching a news channel, anxiously waiting for the president’s announcement, hoping against hope that it would be good news. Matt was playing something on his PSP, his headphones in, completely unaware of anything that was happening around him. Ben was half reading, half listening to the news to find out what was going on. Hal was in the kitchen on the phone to Rita; she’d not been answering his calls since he’d said goodbye to her at school, and he’d been worrying.

            Hal came back into the room, looking despondent. Rebecca picked up on it immediately, and asked what was wrong.

            “She said she was too busy to talk for long,” Hal explained, “I think she was annoyed at me for not waiting with her on Friday until her dad got there. I waited until I knew he was coming for her, I knew she was okay. But I had to find Ben, and get to Matt.” He added, trying to justify himself.

            “You did the right thing Hal.” Rebecca assured him.

            “Rita was just scared, she’ll come around.” Tom agreed.

            “She’s a spoilt control freak.” Ben muttered under his breath. As much as he’d never admit it, he didn’t like how Rita treated Hal sometimes.

            “What?” Hal asked him, not quite catching what he said.

            “Nothing.” Ben replied quickly, knowing it wouldn’t go down well if Hal heard what he’d actually said.

            “It’ll be fine Hal.” Rebecca added, taking Hal’s attention away from Ben. Just then the news reader announced that they were going live to the President’s news conference, and the four oldest Masons all diverted their attention to the television screen. Matt paused his game, but kept his headphones in so no one would realise that he was listening.

            President Hathaway’s tone was as calm and reassuring as it had been first time. He reported that they had unfortunately been unable to make contact with these visitors, but also that they had received no threats or signs of negative intentions towards us. He stated that as there was no sign that these visitors were our enemies, and while there was still a high probability of peace, the world’s leaders had come to an agreement that we would not be attacking the ships with nuclear weapons. Any force on our part would be reactive; we would not be the aggressor. For the time being all non-essential air traffic was to remain grounded. However, President Hathaway finished his speech by saying that this cannot be allowed to halt our daily lives any further, that we can’t stop normal life indefinitely; as such, starting tomorrow all schools and places of work would be reopened. Normal daily life would be resumed. He gave one final urge for people to be cautious, but stressed that there was no need for panic. As the news readers began to discuss what the president had said, Tom switched the television off.

            “Well, it’s a good thing we made you all finish your homework then, isn’t it?” He said with a smile. He felt relieved that things were going back to normal, relieved that they weren’t going to be confined to their home for another day; he wasn’t sure that Matt could cope with being cooped up much longer. But he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that it wasn’t all over yet. The ships hadn’t left; the danger wasn’t gone. Nevertheless, he continued to smile as Hal groaned and Matt ripped his headphones out.

            “You mean we have to go to school tomorrow? We only got Friday afternoon off? What about the aliens? They’re still here, aren’t they?” Matt’s tone was shocked.

            “They are, but the President’s right. We can’t let it stop us living our normal lives, can we?”

            “But we don’t even get Monday off school?” Matt whined, “That is _so_ unfair!”

            “I thought you were getting bored stuck at home?” Ben commented, thinking about how many times over the last two days Matt had complained that he was bored and there was nothing to do.

            “Well, I didn’t mean I wanted to go to school.” Matt complained, “I thought when aliens came it was supposed to be exciting! Things were supposed to happen; we weren’t just supposed to carry on with school and homework! This is rubbish!” Matt sighed dramatically to emphasise his point.

            “Be careful what you wish for, Matty.” Hal laughed. When Rebecca and Tom’s eyes met across the room they were deadly serious; the last thing they wanted was for the arrival of the ships to become _exciting_. Excitement in this case would likely bring danger.

 

***

 

            Hal grinned as he high-fived his team mates. It was four days later, and the ship in the sky had almost become a usual feature. People weren’t discussing it as much anymore, and even the newspapers had moved on to other things; it really felt like life was getting back to normal. His cancelled lacrosse game had been rescheduled, and as Hal had predicted they were currently thrashing the other team; Hal had just scored his second goal. Looking into the crowd, he spotted his mom and Matt in the stands, waving and cheering, and he waved back at them. Part of him wished that his dad and Ben were there too. Tom had been very apologetic, explaining that after all that had happened he had so much work to catch up on; then again, Tom was always very apologetic when it came to missing lacrosse games, Hal thought a little bitterly. He loved it when his dad was there to support him; he loved knowing that both of his parents were proud of him for excelling at something he enjoyed. Ben was at his friend Nick’s house, working on some science project, but Hal didn’t mind that much. He knew Ben wasn’t really a fan of lacrosse, and on the odd occasion he was dragged to a game he would just sit there and read. Hal still wasn’t quite sure how Ben had convinced their parents to let him go to a friend’s house; both Tom and Rebecca were still very concerned about the situation, and hardly let the boys out of sight apart from for school. Ben had explained that he needed to work on his science project with Nick, his lab partner, and that it was very important for his school performance. Eventually Tom had agreed, after Ben had used several of his own arguments about the importance of school work and learning against him. Rita also wasn’t there, although Hal wasn’t that surprised; she’d been a little cold to him since last Friday and he had no idea why. He also wasn’t quite sure why he didn’t seem to mind that much.

            “Mom, when I grow up do you think I’ll be as good as Hal at lacrosse?” Matt asked eagerly, his face shining. Rebecca smiled at him, “Of course you will, especially with all the training he’s been giving you recently.” Matt grinned at her, and turned back to the game.

            “Do you think he’ll score again?” Matt asked, his tone excited.

            “Maybe, we’ll see.” Rebecca replied, before noticing that Matt was shivering a little. “Are you cold?”

            “Just a little.”

            “I told you to bring your scarf; did you leave it in the car or at home?” She asked sternly; Matt hated wearing his scarf, for some unexplained reason, but he always got cold without it. Rebecca found it very frustrating.

            “I’m not sure, maybe at home?” Matt replied, his tone cautious, like he knew what his mother was going to say next.

            “I _told_ you to bring it! You’ll catch a cold if you’re not more careful, and then-” Rebecca’s sentence was cut off abruptly as she shielded her eyes from a blinding bright white light. She heard a few screams around her, and Matt suddenly gripped on to her tightly. She used her free arm to hold him close. As quickly as it had come, the light faded, and with it the lights on the pitch, and the electronic score board. The street lights in the distance disappeared too. After the intensity of the bright light, the sudden darkness was blinding, and Rebecca could hardly see anything, other than the outline of the ship in the sky.

            “Mom, what’s happening?” Matt asked, in a frightened small voice.

            “I don’t know sweetheart,” was all she could manage in reply.

            “It came from the ship!” Someone close behind her called out, and there were a few more panicked shouts. Then, the ship slowly began to descend. Its sudden movement, after almost a week of remaining stationary, was met by shocked gasps from the people watching. Everyone seemed transfixed and rooted to the spot. The ship made contact with the ground with a resounding crash, and Rebecca was sure it must have crushed some buildings near the water front. People must have been hurt, even killed.

            Then, seemingly hundreds of lights started to pour out of the landed ship, travelling in every direction. Rebecca could only stare in confusion, unable to process what was happening.

Everything was deadly still, until the first explosion. Then the screaming began.


	4. Chapter 4

            “Hal!” Rebecca shouted her son’s name again as she fought her way through the crowd, clutching Matt tightly to her side. It was so dark; she could hardly see where she was going. Everyone was panicking, screaming and shouting, desperately trying to find their sons on the pitch, or make their way to their cars. The lights in the sky, the ships, still flew overhead, and the ground trembled with the impact of explosions not too far away. Rebecca could feel the panic and fear rising and she fought to push it down, to stay strong for Matt, who was crying and flinching with the sound of each explosion. She just wanted to find Hal, to get him and Matt to safety and then she could stop to worry about Ben and Tom. But as the ground shook with the force of another explosion, the closest one yet, Rebecca couldn’t help but feel that all her worst fears had come true.

            “Hal!” She called again, her tone growing more and more desperate. Matt was shaking as she dragged him along beside her. They’d reached the field now, as had most of the other frantic parents. It was almost impossible to look for Hal through the swarming crowd. Matt whimpered as one of the ships flew close overhead, and set off another explosion, just a street or two away. Rebecca clutched him tightly, wishing there was anything that she could do or say to reassure him.

            “Mom!” Suddenly Hal was there, terror written clearly across his face. Rebecca pulled him into an embrace, holding onto both of her sons with all her strength. They were surrounded by people panicking and screaming, and they could hear explosions from all over the city, but just for now Rebecca had two of her sons safely with her. Reluctantly she released them, although she still held Matt close and kept her hand firmly on Hal’s arm. She would not let either of them get pulled away from her by the crowd.

            “What are we going to do?” Hal asked, having to shout to be heard over the crowd. His eyes were wide with panic, and Rebecca just wanted to sooth him and tell him that it was all going to be okay. But she couldn’t do that. Instead she replied that they needed to get to the car so that they could get home to find Tom and Ben. As they made their way to the parking lot Rebecca kept a firm grip on both of her sons. It was chaos, people barging into each other, screaming and shouting, and constant barrage of explosions and ships overhead. As they got closer, Rebecca thought she heard a few people shouting that their cars wouldn’t start, and she felt another rush of panic welling up inside her.

Sure enough, when they finally reached their car, it wouldn’t start. The thought of having to walk home through the panicked streets, in the middle of an alien attack filled Rebecca with terror. She wished Tom was here to take charge of the situation; she wished Ben was with them so she could see that he was safe and well. She wished none of this was happening and that the last week or so had all been a bad dream.

            “We have to walk?” Matt asked, his voice quivering with fear, “I don’t want to. Maybe we could hide somewhere here?”

            “It’ll be fine buddy. It’s just like one of your video games.” Hal replied, trying to sound normal and upbeat, but his voice lacked its usual confidence.

            “We’ll be together,” Rebecca added, “And once we’re home we can wait for your dad and Ben.” Matt nodded, still looking petrified, before taking Rebecca’s hand for comfort. Rebecca took hold of Hal’s hand too, and for once he didn’t complain.

            “Stay close, and do not let go.” She instructed them firmly, “We’ll be fine.” Just as she finished speaking the ground shook with another explosion, from very close by. Trying to calm the sheer terror and panic that was threatening to burst out of her, Rebecca began to lead her sons away from the school and towards home.

            Their progress was slow, but the closer they got to home the further away the explosions seemed to be, and the streets became less and less crowded. The attack seemed to be more focused on central Boston, and other key areas, rather than in the more residential areas, and Rebecca couldn’t help but feel a little bit relieved. When they were only a few streets away from home Matt pointed to the sky, and they all looked up, pausing briefly, to see that military planes and helicopters were waging an air battle with the alien ships.

            “Yes!” Matt shouted excitedly, “They’ll beat them easily!” His face didn’t look as fearful as it had, and a part of him was excited by the fight that was going on in the sky. Rebecca and Hal exchanged a look of worry; they could clearly see that the military planes were vastly inferior to the alien ships and as such were losing the fight.

            “Come on, we can’t stop.” Rebecca said, dragging her boys on. They were so close to their house, but they still had a little way to go, and Rebecca could feel the desperation inside her growing, and she struggled to suppress it. She had to be strong for her boys; once she was home, and with Tom, she could let herself panic. But not now.

            Matt was still eagerly watching the sky, feeling both fascinated and terrified by what he saw. This was all just like in the video games he played or the movies that he was technically too young to have seen, although it had never felt this real or this frightening on his television screen. He was certain that the military planes would defeat the alien ships and everything would go back to normal, and that his parents would stop having hushed conversations and looking so worried all the time. He couldn’t imagine how this would end any other way than the ships going away defeated and normal life resuming.

Suddenly he saw a plane flying overhead be hit by a ball of light fired by an alien ship. It started to fall from the sky at an alarming speed, and Matt stopped dead in his tracks.

            “Mom!” he shouted, not being able to look away from the falling plane. Noticing just too late, Hal moved to protect Matt, throwing himself in front of his brother. The plane crashed into the end of the street, exploding in a ball of fire, debris flying everywhere. Rebecca’s hand was torn from Matt’s as the three of them were knocked off their feet, and then her head hit the ground and everything went black.

                           

***

 

The military’s attempt to stop the alien attack was failing dismally, and all Ben could do was watch as more and more planes were shot down, without so much as damaging a single alien ship.

“This is so _cool_!” Nick said, and Ben looked at him in confusion.

“How is any of this cool?” he asked, “People are dying, this is serious!”

“But _aliens_.” Nick insisted, “You have to admit that being a witness to an alien attack is pretty awesome!” Ben just shook his head. Clearly none of this felt real to his friend, and Ben knew that Nick couldn’t understand what Ben was worrying about. His little sister and both of his parents had been home when the attack started. Ben wasn’t really worried about himself; the area around Nick’s house had been more or less untouched. He was worried about his family, and for the first time in his life he was wishing desperately that he’d gone to Hal’s stupid lacrosse game. At least then he’d be with most of his family, and not stuck here with no way of knowing whether or not they were okay. But of course they were okay, he told himself, they had to be. He just wished there was a way he could know for sure.

      Ben was pulled away from his thoughts as something exploded not far from Nick’s house, and Nick paled as it all suddenly seemed that much closer and more real. There were similar explosions occurring all over the city, planes crashing down, and Ben knew that his family were all stranded out there somewhere.

      “Boys, come away from that window.” Nick’s mother was suddenly behind them, her face pinched with worry.

      “I need to go,” Ben announced, deciding as he spoke that he needed to go home to find his family. He wanted to be with them.

      “You can’t go outside!” Nick’s mother was shocked, “It’s too dangerous!”

      “I need to find my family,” Ben insisted, “They’re out there somewhere and I need to find them.” He started to walk towards the door, stopping only when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

      “It’s too dangerous,” Nick’s father’s said, his face grave. He continued when he saw that Ben was about to protest, “You’ll just get yourself hurt, and that won’t do your family any good. You know your parents would want you to be safe, no matter what.” As much as he wanted to argue, Ben knew that he had a point, and he lost his determination.

      “And they know you’re here, when this all dies down either they’ll come to get you, or we’ll take you to find them. Once it’s safe, I promise we will.” Nick’s mother said before pulling Ben into a hug and whispering, “I’m sure they’re fine.” Normally Ben would have found being hugged by Nick’s mother really weird, but today he was glad of the comfort. He let himself be guided away from the front door and onto the sofa.

      “We just have to wait this out, okay?” Nick’s father tried to smile reassuringly, “I’m sure this will all be over soon.” The sound of another close explosion made Nick’s little sister Anna scream, and Nick pulled her onto his lap, murmuring calming words. Anna was about Matt’s age, and watching them made Ben worry about his family even more. He knew that Matt must be terrified, and wished he could be there to look after him. He knew that Matt was with Hal and their mom, and that they would all be looking out for each other, but he wished he was with them. He was worried about his dad, who’d been working late, and would have been on his own when the attack started.

The sound of yet another explosion nearby made Ben jump, and as he watched Nick comforting Anna, a little part of him wished he had his big brother there to comfort him too.

 

***

 

            Tom had already been part of the way home when the attack started. His car had died, and he’d been forced to join the crowds of people walking through the panicked streets. He’d managed to avoid the explosions, and he’d been just far enough away to watch the plane be shot down without being injured by the following explosion. The site of the crash was on his way home, and he paused to check if there was anyone needing help on his way through, even though it was a little difficult to see because the only real light source was the fires caused by the crash.

            It had taken less than a glance at the wreckage for Tom to be certain that there was no hope for anyone who had been on board the plane. He made his way down the road, finding it hard to believe that this had really happened so close to home, on a street he knew so well. The plane had crashed into some houses, destroying at least one completely, and Tom could only hope that no one had been home when it hit. Looking for survivors, or people who needed help, Tom slowly continued on his journey home. He wasn’t the only person offering help to the wounded, so he kept going down the street, until he spotted someone stirring under a small pile of debris a little further down. He rushed forwards, only to stop abruptly when he saw that it was Hal. After the initial shock resided he was at his son’s side in an instant, his heart racing at the thought that he could be seriously hurt.

            Hal wasn’t alone, Tom quickly realised, as he was half lying on top of someone else; Matt. Tom quickly moved the debris away from his sons, and checked Hal over for injuries. Hal appeared to be fine, other than a few little cuts and scrapes from the debris from the explosion, although Tom gave the small cut on his head a closer look before determining that it wasn’t serious. He helped his eldest son to sit up, and moved to check on Matt, who wasn’t hurt at all. Tom held them both close with a sigh of relief.

            Both Hal and Matt were extremely stunned after the explosion, but Hal managed to ask, “Where’s mom?” Tom immediately released his sons, “She was with you?” he asked desperately, and Hal managed to nod, although the movement made him grimace in pain and hold his hand to his head. Tom’s relief had instantly faded, being replaced by more desperate panic. He moved to get up and look for Rebecca, but Matt, with tears streaming down his face, clutched on to Tom’s arm with such a fearful expression that it broke Tom’s heart to shrug his hand away.

            “I have to find your mom,” Tom told him, “Stay with Hal. Don’t move both of you, just stay here, and I promise I will come back with your mom.” Just as he was about to move, he noticed Hal’s eyes closing, and he shook him back into alertness.

“Hal, stay awake. You might have a concussion. Both of you have to stay awake, keep each other awake. Okay?” Tom’s voice was as urgent as he could make it, given the amount of panic he was feeling.

“We’ll be fine.” Hal said, sounding a little more awake and more like himself. Even Matt managed a quiet “Okay,” and behind the tears his face took on a more determined expression. Looking at his boys, both so scared and yet so brave in the middle of this… war zone, Tom almost couldn’t bring himself to leave them alone. But he had to; he had to find his wife.

He found Rebecca not too far away, struggling underneath what appeared to be a part of the wing of the plane.

“Tom?” She asked incredulously, and then when she was sure she wasn’t imagining him she continued, “Hal and Matt, you have to find them. I was holding their hands and then I don’t know where they are. You have to find them!” She insisted, and Tom stroked her hair back from her face to calm her.

“They’re okay, I found them, they’re not hurt.” Tom assured her, as he wiped away her tears.

“My leg’s stuck.” She told him, “I can’t get out.”

“I’ll help, just lie still.” Tom put all of his weight against the wing, and shifted it a little, but stopped at Rebecca’s cry of pain, “I’m sorry, I can’t lift it off, it’s too heavy.”

“I’ll help.” Tom turned in surprise to see that Hal and Matt had made their way over to their parents.

“Me too.” Matt chimed in, his tears having slowed considerably.

“I told you to wait over there.” Tom scolded, but with no real force. He knew he’d need Hal’s assistance to help Rebecca, “But help me lift this, quickly.” The two of them, with Matt’s valuable contribution, managed to lift the piece of the plane’s wing away from Rebecca, freeing her legs. She was able to move them with no problem, other than an injured ankle, and Tom sighed with relief thinking about how much worse it could have been.

With the sounds of the attack still clearly to be heard, they decided to get home as quickly as possible. With both Tom and Hal to lean on, Rebecca was able to walk fairly easily. Their street was eerily deserted when they reached it, despite looking essentially untouched by all that was going on. Tom hoped that was a good sign. He was finally able to breathe a little easier once their front door closed behind them. Hal sank into the sofa with his head in his hands, while Matt ran straight to the window to watch what was going on in the sky. Being home seemed to have perked him up a bit.

“Ben’s not here”? Tom asked, “I thought that was why he wasn’t with you?”

“He went to Nick’s house,” Rebecca reminded him, “I’m sure he’s still there. They’re sensible people, they’ll look after him.” She tried to sound confident for Hal and Matt, but inside she was terrified about what could be happening to her middle child while he wasn’t with his family.

Tom sighed, before muttering, “I knew I should never have agreed to let him go,” as he ran his hands through his hair, pacing backwards and forwards behind the sofa.

“My head is killing me.” Hal complained, as Rebecca checked the wound gently.

“It’s not that deep,” she assured him, stroking his face to sooth him, “Come to the kitchen so I can clean it, and get you something for the pain.” Tom moved to help her walk to the kitchen, but she gestured at Matt.

“I’m fine, I can use Hal to help me walk.” She tried to smile, “That’s what children are for, isn’t it?” It was an old joke that she and Tom used whenever they needed one of their sons to do something for them, but all Tom could manage in response was a weak smile. As Rebecca limped to the kitchen, leaning on Hal, Tom walked over to Matt by the window.

“Hey, Matt, are you okay?” He asked, gently running his hand through his youngest son’s hair.

“Did you see that plane crash? It almost hit us! I was trying to watch it when it hit the ground, but Hal pushed me away! But it was so cool!” Matt was talking very fast, seemingly having forgotten just how scared he had been not half an hour ago, or how close they had come to being seriously injured. Tom suspected that Matt might be in shock, and pulled him away from the window before his ramble could continue. He sat down on the sofa, pulling Matt onto his lap.

“I did see that plane, and I am so unbelievably glad that it didn’t hit you. But it’s very dangerous out there, and I need you to be brave for me. Stay inside, stay away from the windows, and just be careful, okay Matt?” He didn’t want to scare Matt, but he wanted him to be fully aware of the dangers so that he wouldn’t do anything reckless.

“What about Ben?” Matt asked, “Are we gonna go get him?” He looked up at Tom, his expression sad.

“We are Matt,” Tom said with conviction, just before another explosion sounded, seemingly very close. Matt flinched into Tom, who held him close.

“We just need to wait for it all to die down a little, but then we will go and find Ben. We’ll bring him home, and then we’ll all be together as a family. As long as we have each other, we can get through anything.”


	5. Chapter 5

            It felt like days had passed since the attack began, but Tom knew it couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours. Listening to the sounds of the attack outside, he could hardly believe that this was really happening. It felt like a dream, or a nightmare, and Tom wished he could just wake up. He held Matt close to him as they sat in silence, waiting for the explosions and crashes to finally stop. They’d closed the curtains in an attempt to block out the terrifying ships in the sky, but the room was still lit by the brief flashes of light that accompanied the explosions outside. Hal was trying to be brave, and to not show how terrified he was, but when Rebecca sat next to him and offered him her hand for some comfort, he’d gripped it tightly. Tom had wanted to break the silence, to reassure his family that everything was going to be okay, or at least to try to distract them from the horror of what was going on outside, but for once he couldn’t think of anything to say. So the only sounds in the room where from the attack outside, Matt’s occasional whimpers and Rebecca checking that Hal’s head wasn’t hurting too much. The explosions seemed to be further away now, and Tom could only assume that whatever was happening was focusing more directly on central Boston.

            “Ben’s friend, Nick? Where’s his house? Is it near here, or closer to central Boston?” he asked, thinking out loud rather than addressing anyone in particular.

            “It’s further out than we are, away from central Boston.” Rebecca answered immediately, “I’m sure he’s fine, I’m sure they’ve hardly felt the effects of this attack at all.” She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Tom breathed a small sigh of relief; Ben had to be okay, he _had_ to. He just wished he had his whole family together, and safe, for whatever that was worth in this changing world.

 

***

 

            “Is it over?” Nick’s little sister Anna asked in a small voice. It had been fairly quiet for the past few minutes, and Ben found himself hoping that maybe it, whatever _it_ was, was actually over. He could be with his family again, and maybe things would eventually get back to normal, and he could go back to fighting with his brothers and bothering his mom with all his opinions on the latest book he was reading. But deep down Ben knew that the situation was much too serious for everything to return to normal. He knew that it was highly unlikely that normal would ever exist again and that life as he’d known it was probably gone for good. He wished he could stop his brain from going too far down that path.

            “I’m not sure sweetie,” After a moment’s hesitation Nick’s mother answered her daughter, “But we’ll know soon.”

            “Yeah, no doubt there’ll be an official announcement and explanation soon. The government will be handling this. It will all be okay.” Nick’s father sounded confident, and Ben couldn’t help but think that he was being slightly delusional. From the brief look he’d had at the air battle earlier, the military had seemed to be losing heavily. He was pretty certain that the reason things seemed to by dying down out there was because the military had accepted defeat and given up, or that they’d been wiped out. The attackers had completed their objective, whatever that was, and now they could return to their base to continue with their plan. Ben couldn’t see anything positive about this situation, or how it was all going to be okay, and he wondered if Nick’s father actually believed what he was saying, or if he was just lying in an attempt to calm his children. Ben wished his father was there to reassure him with soothing lies.

            “I’m scared.” Anna whispered, burrowing further into Nick’s arms for comfort. Immediately their parents were out of their seats and holding their children, and Ben felt a lump rise in his throat at the sight of their family pulling together to get each other through this terrible situation. He didn’t know if his family were together and worrying about him, or trapped somewhere out there and alone, or if they were- Ben stopped his thoughts abruptly. The third option wasn’t acceptable; his family had to be okay. There was no way anything bad could have happened to them, not even tonight.

            As quietly as possible, so as not to disturb Nick’s family, Ben made his way back over to the window. He pushed the curtains open a little, and scanned the sky for anything out of the ordinary. There weren’t nearly as many ships in the sky as there had been earlier, and they didn’t seem to be firing at anything anymore. They were all flying in the same direction, towards central Boston, where the large ship had crashed, or landed. Ben supposed his theory that they were returning to their base to prepare for their next move had some truth to it, and whilst he was glad the attack seemed to be over, he couldn’t help but worry about that next move might be. The area around Nick’s house hadn’t been hit too hard, but when Ben looked in the direction of his school and his house he could see smoke rising from multiple fires, and it was evident that there’d been a lot more destruction in that direction. It was all Ben could do to hope that his family had made it out okay and unharmed.

 

***

 

            “It’s been quiet for ages now.” Matt spoke for the first time in hours, his voice sounding tired and scared, “Is it safe now?” Tom’s eyes met Rebecca’s across the dark room, and they briefly conveyed their fear and uncertainty.

            “I’m not sure Matt,” Tom couldn’t think of anything to say but the truth, “I hope so.” He wished he could be more certain, he wished he could say something to reassure Matt and have it be the truth. All he could do was try to comfort Matt without lying to him or giving him false hope. He kissed the top of Matt’s head, and held him closer. Hal meanwhile jumped out of his seat and, ignoring Rebecca’s protests that it wasn’t safe and that they should stay back from the windows, he pulled the curtains open and looked out.

            “They’re retreating.” He declared, turning to look back at his parents, “They aren’t attacking anymore. That means we can go get Ben, right?” He paused for a moment, waiting for them to respond and when they didn’t he continued, “Dad, you said when it died down we’d go get him. It’s died down.” After sharing another quick look with Rebecca, Tom passed Matt over to his wife, and came to join Hal at the window.

            “It does look like it’s quieter.” He agreed, and on almost auto-pilot he made his way into the kitchen to grab a flashlight. He re-entered the living room to find that Rebecca was now standing and shaking her head.

            “No way Hal, it’s not safe out there.” Her tone was firm.

            “It’s not safe out there for me, but its okay for dad to go?” Hal protested, “Ben’s my brother, I’m going with dad to get him.”

            “It’s too dangerous.” Rebecca insisted, and Tom nodded in agreement.

            “I’ll be fine on my own; it’s no use risking more of us. I need you to stay here and look after your mom and Ben.”

            “Do you even know where Nick lives? Or how to get there?” Hal asked, his eyes lighting up as he realised he’d found a valid point to argue, “Nick lives just down the street from Julian, I could walk there in my sleep”.

            “Your mom can write me directions, I’ll find it.” Tom argued. He knew it would be a help to have Hal with him, but if something went wrong he didn’t want to put Hal in more danger than necessary. It was already killing him that he didn’t know for certain if Ben was safe or not.

            “Hal, you’re injured, your head-” Rebecca started, but Hal cut her off.

            “My head’s fine!” He insisted, “And dad will just get lost.”

            “Stop arguing!” Matt’s little voice broke through the discussion, “Arguing isn’t helping Ben.”

            Tom sighed, running his hands through his hair, “You’re right Matt.”

            “I’m going dad,” Hal stated, “We’ll get to him quicker if I show you the way. And if he’s hurt-” Hal paused for a moment, and Tom felt a stab of fear at the thought, “If he’s hurt then it will be easier for two of us to help him than one. I’m going.”

            “Okay.” Rebecca nodded, finally acknowledging that Hal had a point, and that as much as she hated it, it would be safer for both Tom and Ben if Hal went too. “I’ll go get you some water, and the first aid kit, although I hope you won’t need it.” She gave Hal’s arm a supportive squeeze, before hurrying to the kitchen.

            “We go quickly, and avoid trouble, okay?” Tom looked at Hal, who nodded, “We go straight to Nick’s house, get your brother, and then we come straight home.”

            Hal grinned, “It’ll be easy.” Tom was about to make yet another comment about it being important not to be too confident, when Matt piped up again.

            “And I’ll come too.”

            Hal laughed “No way buddy, you have to be this high to take part in our rescue mission.” He held his hand up high over Matt’s head, and Matt shoved him away with a glare. Tom crouched down to be on Matt’s eye level.

            “I need you to stay here Matt.” Matt started to protest, but Tom shushed him and continued, “It’s important. I need you to look after your mom, I know she’s scared, like we all are, and I know she’ll be worried about me and your brothers. That’s why I need you to stay here for her. Can you do that for me?”

            “Yeah, dad. I can do that.” Matt said, his expression deadly serious. Rebecca came back into the room, handing Tom a bag that he knew would be packed with water and the first aid kit and some food and anything else that they could possibly need. He quickly added the flashlight. Matt walked over to his mom, and took her hand.

            “We’ll be okay here, you go get Ben.” His voice wasn’t scared anymore, but determined. Tom gave his wife a quick kiss, before pulling his youngest son into an embrace, and telling them both that he loved them. Hal let his mom kiss his cheek and hug him briefly, before he pulled away and ruffled Matt’s hair, confidently declaring, “Let’s go get Ben.”


	6. Chapter 6

            As they made their way down the street, Tom looked around anxiously for any signs of danger. He kept a tight grip on the bag of supplies that Rebecca had given him, hoping with everything he had that they wouldn’t need to use them. The sky was clear now, with no sign of the earlier air battle. The ground was another story, with debris scattered everywhere, fires burning and blood covering whole sections of the road. Tom glanced at Hal, wishing somehow that he could stop his son from seeing the destruction that was so evident around them. Being back out on the streets brought home the true scale of the situation, and all Tom wanted was to find Ben and make sure he was okay.

            Turning onto the next road, their path was lit by fires caused by what appeared to be an exploded car, which had crashed into a house, causing more damage that Tom would have thought possible. He could only hope no one had been home at the time and that no one had been hurt. But from all that he’d seen tonight he knew that was impossible; so many people must have died. Most of his own family almost been killed, and he had no idea what had happened to his middle son; he quickly put that thought out of his mind. They were going to find Ben, and bring him home. There was no other acceptable alternative.

            Lost in this train of thought, Tom missed the fact that Hal had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at something on the ground in front of him, his face pale. Tom followed his son’s gaze, and was horrified to see a severed arm lying at Hal’s feet.

“I didn’t see it, Dad, I almost stepped on it.” Hal sounded a little hysterical, and it broke something in Tom to see such a lost expression on his son’s face. Suppressing his own revulsion, he put his arms on Hal’s shoulders, tearing his son’s tear-filled eyes away from the horrific sight. Tom gave Hal a slight shake, “We need to keep moving, to get to Ben, okay?”

At the mention of Ben’s name, Hal snapped back into focus, and he nodded.

“Just try not to-” Tom started, unsure of how to continue. What he really wanted to do was shelter Hal from all of this, to send him back to Rebecca and Matt, but he knew Hal would never agree to it, “Just try not to look too closely at anything we pass by, okay? Focus on Ben.” Hal nodded again, and carefully stepped around the arm, giving a slight shudder. Just then, Tom thought he heard a voice calling out somewhere nearby. The streets were deserted, and whilst they had barely left their road, they’d not seen another soul.

            “Is anyone there? I’m hurt! I need help!” The voice was desperate; it sounded like a man, and Tom thought it was vaguely familiar. He hesitated, unsure of what to do.

            Hal turned back to him, “Dad, we need to get to Ben, we can’t stop. Ben could be hurt!” He didn’t want to leave someone who needed help, but every second a different horrible thought chased its way through his mind about exactly what could have happened to his brother. He just wanted to see that Ben was safe, and to bring him home. Then everything would be okay; it would _have_ to be okay. When the voice called for help again, Hal felt a stab of guilt for being so determined to ignore it.

            Tom shook his head, running a hand through his hair, “I know Hal, I know I said we need to focus on Ben. But if Ben is hurt,-” he paused, “If Ben is lying on a street somewhere, injured, I can only hope that someone passing by will take the time to help him.” Tom was so worried about Ben, he had never felt as worried about anything as he was that something had happened to Ben, but he couldn’t let his morals slide now. Hal nodded a little reluctantly, but deep down he knew they could never just leave someone who was in trouble.

            “Stay behind me,” Tom told Hal, feeling suddenly cautious, “Until we see what’s wrong, and if it’s safe.” Hal nodded again, not wanting to waste time they could spend getting to Ben arguing over such a pointless thing, and part of him felt comforted by his father’s protectiveness in the midst of all this chaos. Tom moved forward slowly, not sure what they were walking towards. If this person was seriously injured, or even worse dying, he wasn’t sure what he could do.

            “Tom? Is that you?” Surprised, Tom stopped dead in his tracks, but Hal continued forward, ignoring his father’s earlier instruction.

            “Dad, I think it’s Dr Harris!” He exclaimed. Moving closer, Tom could see that Hal was right. Wedged awkwardly underneath a pile of debris and what looked like part of a car door was their neighbour and friend.

            Tom rushed to his side in an instant, “Michael? Are you hurt?”

            “Thank god you found me!” Harris’ voice was shaky, “I was trying to get home, and then suddenly I was flying through the air, and then everything went black. I woke up here, and I couldn’t move, and then I heard your voices.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Is that Hal with you?”

            “Yeah it is, we’ll get you out of here in no time.” Tom assured him, gesturing to Hal to help him clear the debris. It wasn’t long before they were able to help Harris to his feet, and it quickly became clear that he wasn’t hurt.

            Brushing himself down, Harris asked “So, are you heading home?” His voice was shaky, and he pointed in the direction that they had just come from. Hal was eager to get going, to get to Ben; he didn’t want to waste any more time standing around chatting. He signalled to his father they needed to keep moving. Tom gave him a small nod, before turning back to Harris, “We just came from there. We’re going to get Ben, to bring him home.”

            “You’re going out there _by choice_.” Harris’ voice was incredulous, “It’s dangerous right now!” he gestured at the wreckage surrounding them.

            “We have to get Ben.” Hal said impatiently.

            “It’s a risk we’ll have to take.” Tom agreed, “We really need to keep moving, you should be fine from here.” Harris stared at Tom and Hal for a moment, and was about to speak when a ship of some kind flew close by overhead. Tom quickly ducked down, pulling Hal down with him, anxiously checking to see if they’d been spotted, or if the shooting was going to start again. Thankfully the ship faded into the distance, clearly no longer interested with what was going on down below. Harris stood rooted to the spot, staring at the sky in horror.

            “That was close!” Hal exclaimed, almost laughing, although he wasn’t sure what exactly was funny. Harris tore his eyes away from the retreating light, and took a slow step forwards. As soon as his foot touched the ground he groaned in pain, dramatically leaning on Tom for balance.

            “My ankle! I think I’ve done something to it!” His tone was almost too pained, and he cautiously looked at Tom before adding, “I’m not sure if I can walk on it.”

            “You were standing just fine a second ago!” Hal was annoyed; Harris was a grown man, he could be brave enough to walk barely more than two streets back to his house on his own. Ben was just a kid, and Hal had no idea what he was going through right now, or if he was alone, or hurt or- Hal tore his thoughts away from that idea, angry at himself, at Harris, at whoever or whatever was responsible for all of this.

            “It must have been the shock, or the adrenaline wearing off.” Harris insisted, “When I try to put weight on it-” he broke off with another groan of pain, and would have fallen if Tom hadn’t steadied him.

            “We really do need to get to Ben.” Tom was torn between helping his friend, and his desperate urgency to find his son and make sure he was okay. He knew the right thing to do was to help Harris, but he also knew that Ben might be in serious trouble.

            “I have medical supplies in my house,” Harris continued, looking at Tom and Hal a little desperately, “That looks like a nasty cut on your head, Hal. Could be serious, but I can check it out back at my house, if you want, Tom?” He looked at Tom hopefully. Tom sighed; while he would like to have a doctor look at Hal’s head for his peace of mind, he had no way of knowing what condition Ben was in.

            “My head is fine!” Hal retorted, “Mom cleaned it, and it doesn’t even really hurt anymore!” Not only was Harris trying to delay them finding his brother, he now was trying to emotionally manipulate his father into helping him.

            Harris looked from Tom to Hal again, and nodded, “I’ll make it back somehow, you two go on.” He took a small step forwards grimacing and hissing in pain. Tom steadied him again, before sighing “Let me help, we’ll walk you back.”

            “Dad! He’s _fine_! What about Ben-” Hal protested, but his father interrupted him.

            “Enough, Hal. It’s not far. Let’s just get moving.” Tom wasn’t stupid, he was very aware that Harris’ ankle had only started hurting after he’d realised that Hal and Tom were going to leave him to walk home alone. Tom knew that Harris was scared, and most probably faking it, but he couldn’t leave a friend, or anyone for that matter, who needed his help. Ben would be fine, and if he wasn’t then it was all Tom could hope that someone was looking after him. “Give him your arm.” Tom instructed, giving Hal a stern look.

            “This is ridiculous.” Hal muttered, but he moved to support Harris anyway.

            “Thank you, I really am sorry to trouble you.” Harris’ voice was grateful. Tom couldn’t see Hal’s face, but he could sense his son’s eye roll, and despite their situation he had to suppress a grin.

            “We just need to move quickly. The sooner we’re home, the sooner you can check that Hal’s okay, and then we can get Ben.” Tom spoke determinedly, trying to assure himself that everything would turn out okay. They would find Ben waiting for them at his friend’s house, unhurt and safe. Then they’d all be together as a family again.

            Their progress was slow as they walked back towards their street, although not quite as slow as it might have been considering Harris’ injured ankle. Every now and then he groaned in pain, as though he was suddenly remembering to do so. Tom almost regretted agreeing to walk him home, especially as it became more and more obvious that his ankle was fine. He understood Harris’ fear – he himself was terrified – but Harris knew that Ben needed them. _This is the right thing to do_ , Tom reminded himself.

            Once they got Ben back he was never going to let him out of his sight again. It had only been a few hours of not knowing exactly where Ben was, or what had happened to him, but Tom couldn’t take it much longer. The fear and worry of not knowing if his middle child was okay was destroying him, but Tom had to keep it together for Hal. As they continued their slow progress in the wrong direction, Tom promised himself that he would never let this happen again, that his boys would always be with him, and that he’d never lose one of them again. If he did he wasn’t sure he could bear it.


	7. Chapter 7

“They should be back by now.” Matt’s little voice broke through the silence, “They’ve been gone forever, has something bad happened to them?” Rebecca’s heart clenched in fear at the thought. She was sitting on the sofa, watching the door reflected in a mirror on the wall, anxiously looking for any sign of movement outside, with Matt’s head resting in her lap. Tom and Hal hadn’t really been gone that long; she doubted they’d have even made it to Nick’s house yet. But she couldn’t stand that she was just sitting here waiting, with no way of knowing if they’d ever make it back to her.

“Do think something bad happened to them mom?” Matt asked in concern, sitting up a little, and Rebecca felt a guilty as she realised she’d ignored his previous question; she was too consumed by her fear and worry, and she had no idea how to answer Matt. She couldn’t say “No, I’m sure they’re fine”, because there was no way to guarantee that, and she didn’t want to lie to him about something so serious. But she also truly believed that they _would_ make it back okay, because things seemed quieter now and she couldn’t envision a future in which her family wasn’t together and safe. Although the last few hours had thrown into doubt that once unquestionable future. What could she say to Matt that wouldn’t be a possible lie, but that would still comfort him?

“Mom?” Matt was really worried now, and Rebecca was instantly angry at herself for not answering sooner. She decided to be as honest and as hopeful as she could.

“I really hope not, sweetie. It sounds quiet out there, and we both know how capable your dad and Hal are. But it’s going to take them a while to get to Ben. They have to be careful and that means going slowly.” She stroked Matt’s hair away from his face soothingly, “We just need to stay here, and to stay calm, and they’ll find their way back to us.”

“But what if they never come back?” Matt asked, sitting up a little more, “What do we do if they don’t come back and we’re all alone?” He was really starting to panic now, and with the fear that his words provoked Rebecca had to struggle not to join him. She felt tears well up in her eyes at the thought of Tom and her two eldest boys not making it home, that she might never see them or hold them again. She pulled Matt into an embrace, trying to keep from losing all hope.

“They’ll come back,” She assured him, holding him tightly, “You know your dad and your brothers, they’ll be fine.” She spoke forcefully, feeling herself start to believe it a little more as she did, “I can’t promise you that we’re all going to be fine, but I can promise you that right now I believe it with all my heart. Our family will be okay.”

Matt pulled away, giving Rebecca a small smile, “I believe you.” She smiled back, giving his arms a squeeze.

“You should try to get some sleep.” She suggested, “It’s been a long night.”

Matt shook his head, “I can’t, what if something happens?” His eyes were wide and scared, and Rebecca felt a rush of anger that her children were being put through something as terrifying as all of this. The anger was quickly replaced by fear as she realised that things might not get better for a long time, and that this new frightening world might be all her sons had to grow up in. She promised herself that she would do all she could to make sure they had a normal childhood, a normal life; especially Matt. She would do all she could to make her boys feel safe, and loved, and to stop them from having to grow up too fast. She knew without a moment of hesitation that she would die for her family, if that’s what it took to keep them safe.

“Just try to sleep for me, sweetheart?” She urged Matt, “If you manage to sleep, they’ll be back before you know it!” Matt gave a little nod, and settled back down in her lap. She stroked his hair gently, forcing her mind to focus on the son she had safe with her, and not the ones facing unknown dangers out there.

“I love you mom.” Matt whispered with such forceful sincerity that it brought more tears to Rebecca’s eyes.

“I love you too sweetie, I always will.”

 

***

 

“Can we get Ben now?” Hal asked impatiently, standing up and going over to the door. Once they’d made it back to Harris’ house, he’d checked Hal’s head with shaking hands, and shone an annoying light in his eyes, before pronouncing that Hal seemed to be okay.

Tom raised his hand, motioning for Hal to wait, “You’re sure he’s fine, Michael?” He wanted to be completely certain; they’d delayed getting to Ben partly so Tom could be sure Hal was okay and he didn’t want to rush away, making this detour a complete waste.

“He should be; I can’t see anything seriously wrong. He might have a slight concussion, but nothing serious. Obviously I can’t do a head scan,” Harris gave a shaky laugh, “but I can’t see any sign that he’d need one.” Tom nodded and muttered a thank you, before turning to join Hal at the door.

“Just make sure to check in with me if anything seems to change, Hal.” Harris said, almost on auto-pilot, like this had been a normal check-up.

“Will do, doc.” Hal replied sarcastically. He’d said his head was fine in the first place, and since they’d been back Harris had seemed to forget his supposed life threatening ankle injury. It was so frustrating; Harris lived next door, meaning that they were right back where they’d started, and no closer to Ben. It had all been a waste of time, and for all Hal knew it could have serious consequences for Ben. Tom went to open the door, when Harris called his name to stop him.

“Thank you for helping me,” Harris sounded genuine, and a little guilty, “You saved my life, even though it slowed you getting to Ben. Thank you for not leaving me out there.” Tom could tell Harris’ gratitude was heartfelt, and combined with the sudden realisation that he’d acted a little selfishly in the face of danger. Tom gave him a small smile.

“Don’t mention it! I know that if it had been me, or one of my boys, or Rebecca lying there, needing your help, you’d have done the same thing. It’s the right thing to do; you can’t just leave someone lying injured in the street, especially not a friend.” As worried as he was about Ben, and as apparent as it was that Harris had just been scared, not injured, Tom didn’t regret helping him. He was sure that Harris would return the favour one day, if the situation was reversed and it was someone from Tom’s family needing Harris’ help.

“You’re a good man, Tom Mason, and an even better friend.” Harris smiled, walking over to give Tom a hug, “I owe you.”

“Dad, we need to get to Ben!” Hal opened the front door, eager to get going, “There’ll be time for hugs and ‘thank yous’ once we’ve brought Ben home!” Tom nodded, and began to follow Hal out of the door, before stopping again, prompting a “Dad, _come on_!” from Hal.

“Michael, could you stop in on Matt and Rebecca, make sure they’re okay? I’d do it but we need to find Ben. Rebecca injured her ankle-” Tom paused for a moment thinking of Harris’ _injury_ and a look of slight shame crossed Harris’ face, “So I’d really appreciate it if you’d look in on them.”

“Of course, as soon as it dies down out there.” Harris agreed, with a shaky smile, as though the thought of going outside again terrified him.

“It _has_ died down!” Hal exclaimed, “And they’re only next door!”

Harris went to reply, but Tom spoke before he could, “That’s fine, thank you.” He was tired of all of this; he just wanted to get to Ben. Once his family was all together he could rest, and maybe all of this would start to get better. Surely it couldn’t get worse.

As they walked down the steps and back onto the street, Hal grumbled, “He’s such a jerk, can you believe him?”

Tom shook his head, “He’s just scared, and alone. People act strangely in times like these, you just have to be patient, and trust yourself to make the right decisions.”

“Whatever.” Hal muttered, still angry at Harris for delaying them finding his brother.

“Hey, you never know, it might come in handy soon, having a doctor next door.” Tom tried to joke, but as he spoke the truth of his words hit him; things were so bad that one of his family might be so injured in the near future that they urgently needed Harris help. The thought sickened Tom, and Hal seemed to have the same idea, as he quickened his pace.

“No more delays, we need to bring Ben home.”


	8. Chapter 8

            Ben grew more and more worried as time dragged on and there was no sign of his family. It had been quiet for ages now; surely if they were okay and coming to get him, they’d have found him by now. Every time he tried to make his way to the door, to set out on his own in search of them, Nick’s parents insisted that he wait just a little longer. From what Nick’s father was saying, it seemed that he thought the President would soon be strolling down the street, telling them that it was all okay, and Nick’s mother kept saying that she’d cook them all a nice meal as soon as the power came back on. Ben wanted to scream in frustration. He knew that if he were to leave, Nick’s parents would be unlikely to physically stop him, but something prevented him from making a determined effort, allowing them to easily change his mind. Ben didn’t want to admit it, but he was terrified; not of the dangers he could face outside - those didn’t seem real sitting in Nick’s living room, with its outdated flowery wallpaper - but of what he might find when he did make it home. His family could simply be missing, and he’d never see them again. They could be hurt or- Ben shook his head, trying to stop his mind from going there, even though that seemed to be all he could think of. He felt so torn between his desperate need to be with his family, to feel some semblance of safety again, and the fear of discovering that something terrible had happened to them.

            Ben kept thinking about the last time he’d seen his family. His dad had been leaving for work, and all they’d exchanged was a quick goodbye hug as he’d rushed off to an early morning meeting. His mom had urged him to be safe at Nick’s, and to come home if the situation changed at all. Matt had been arguing with their mom about whether or not he needed to take a scarf with him, and Ben had ruffled his little brother’s hair as he followed Hal out of the door. The last time he’d seen his older brother, he’d been teasing him about Rita ignoring him, and Hal had given him a half-hearted shove, calling him a jerk, before walking over to his lacrosse friends. Ben couldn’t help but think that none of those partings had been proper goodbyes, and he vowed that when he found his family he’d make sure they all knew how much he cared about them, even Hal. He just had to get back to them, and he knew that everything would be alright. So long as _they_ were alright. Which they had to be. The alternative was unthinkable.

            Glancing at the window again, Ben felt a sudden determination take hold of him; he needed to leave and set out to find them. There was a real possibility that they could be hurt and need his help. He stood up, taking a shaky breath, wondering what the journey home would be like after all that had happened. As he expected, Nick’s father was at his side in an instant, trying to get him to stay put. But this time, Ben felt sure that he needed to leave, to be with his parents and his brothers again, where he belonged. Deep down he also knew that he needed to find out if any of his fears about their safety were founded. He shrugged Nick’s father’s hand from his shoulder, and made his way to the door, ignoring the protests from Nick’s parents.

            “It’s too scary to go outside; why would you want to?” Nick’s little sister Anna sounded so scared, and so sad, that Ben paused in his tracks for a moment, and turned to answer her, “I have to find my family, I’ve waited too long already.” Anna seemed to consider this for a moment, before she nodded.

            “You shouldn’t go on your own,” she told him seriously.

            Nick looked up from the floor for the first time in hours, “Dad, you should go with Ben. Anna’s right, it’s not safe for him to go alone.”

            “No! It’s too dangerous!” Nick’s mother burst out, standing up and taking her husband’s hand, as though she was trying to physically keep him there, “It’s not safe out there.”

            Ben resisted the urge to snap ‘You were perfectly fine with _my_ family being out there!’ He didn’t need to be reminded of how dangerous everything had suddenly become. But he could understand her reluctance to have her family be the ones in danger.

            “It’s not safe for the kid out there on his own.” Nick’s father said slowly; Ben could hear the fear in his voice, and knew that he really did not want to accompany him.

            “That’s why he should just wait here. We should all wait here.” Nick’s mother looked a little guiltily at Ben, but she continued, ‘It’s not worth the risk, we should-”

            “My family is worth the risk!” Ben almost shouted, unable to hold in his pent up frustration any longer. Everyone just looked at him, shocked at the outburst. Through the stunned silence Ben heard what sounded like footsteps crunching on Nick’s pebbly driveway, and from the sudden panic on Nick’s parents faces it was clear that they’d heard it too. Nick’s mother reached over and took Anna away from Nick, while his father moved to stand in front of his family. Ben was still stood next to the front door, unsure of what to do.

            “Ben, get back!” Nick’s father whispered, motioning for Ben to step away from the door. They all jumped at the sound of a knock on the door, but the second knock that followed soon after was so distinctive, that Ben couldn’t help but smile. He knew that knock, he’d heard it countless times before and it had never sounded more welcome to him than at that moment. Ignoring the desperate whispers from behind him, Ben fumbled with the lock, and swung the door open.

            In an instant he was engulfed in a bear hug, and after a moment’s shock Ben felt tears well up in his eyes as he held his older brother close. He could see his father in the doorway, with an expression of such intense relief and love that Ben felt the familiar feeling of security wash over him.

            “Ben, you’re okay, you’re okay!” He could hear Hal saying in his ear, sounding like he was almost crying. Ben struggled to fight back the lump in his throat; they’d found him, they’d come for him, he wasn’t facing this on his own anymore.

            “You aren’t hurt, are you?” Tom asked, looking suddenly more concerned. Ben shook his head, “I’m fine; I’m not hurt.” He managed to smile at his dad, before he added “Although it’s getting a little hard to breathe Hal.” Hal abruptly released his little brother, and took a step back, wiping his eyes, and looking a little embarrassed. Something suddenly occurred to Ben.

            “Where are Mom and Matt? Are they okay? Why aren’t they with you?” He asked quickly, a little panic rising in his chest again. Tom placed a reassuring hand on Ben’s shoulder. “They’re fine, they’re at home. They’re worried about you.”

            “Yeah, and Matt was desperate to come with us, I think he wanted to find you single handed.” Hal added with a grin. Ben laughed, easily imaging Matt’s little face all determined and brave and so overly eager to help.

            Tom pulled both his sons into a hug, barely able to contain his relief that they had found Ben alive and safe. Over his sons’ shoulders he suddenly became aware that they weren’t the only people in the room; when they’d first walked in all he could see was Ben. He assumed these people were Nick’s family and that they’d been sitting there quietly, allowing his family to have their moment of reunion. He took a step towards them, offering his hand for Nick’s father to shake.

            “Thank you for looking after my son.”

            Nick’s father shook his hand firmly, “Anyone would have done the same.”

            “We were just offering to go out with Ben, and help him find you when you got here,” Nick’s mother smiled at Tom as she took her husband’s arm. Ben couldn’t see the point of disagreeing with her now. He felt like the terror of the last few hours had almost been completely erased by the presence of his dad and older brother.

            “I’m glad your family is okay.” Nick’s father said quickly, and Ben thought he looked a little uncomfortable at his wife’s exaggeration of the truth.

            “Yours too.” Tom replied, before turning to look back at his boys. “We really had best be going, my wife will be worried sick.” He thanked them for taking care of Ben again, and headed out of the door, with Hal close behind. As Ben began to follow, he felt a hand on his arm.

            “Be careful.” Nick said, sounding to Ben like he was saying a final goodbye.

            “You too.” Ben replied sincerely. Then, to his surprise, Anna threw her arms around him, and whispered “Stay safe with your family.” Ben patted her head, waved an awkward goodbye to Nick’s family, and followed his dad and brother outside. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he might not see his friend ever again.

            Tom and Hal were waiting for him at the end of the driveway, and as Ben walked over to them he began to take in the appearance of the street. It looked so much more real now than it had through Nick’s window; the bits of debris scattered on the street, the smell of smoke from fires burning nearby, the absence of streetlights or the sounds of cars. He couldn’t believe that any of this was actually happening.

            “Are you okay?” Hal asked him, clearly noting something in his expression.

            Ben nodded, “Yeah, it’s just a lot to take in.” He gestured at the street around them.

            “It’s a lot worse in places, and there’s some pretty bad stuff out there, so just focus on where you’re putting your feet, not on what you can see around you. I found that helped.” Hal responded, and Ben couldn’t help but wonder what it was his brother had seen; Hal wasn’t usually the type of person to worry about that sort of thing. Ben snapped out of this train of thought as his dad called “Boys!” from a little down the street. Hal gave Ben a sad smile, before hitting his shoulder lightly, adding “It’ll be fine.” They made their way over to their father, who reached out to take a hold of them.

            “We have to keep moving, as quickly and as quietly as we can. No stopping unless I say so, okay?” They both nodded, and Tom pulled them in for another hug. His sons were being so brave through all of this, and he just wanted to hold them close and keep them safe forever.

            “We’ll be back with your Mom and Matt in no time, and I’m sure that once we’re all together things will start to look brighter. Our family can get through anything.”


	9. Chapter 9

Rebecca gently stroked Matt’s hair, taking comfort from the simple action. Matt had been asleep for a while now, and his head in her lap was all that was keeping Rebecca from pacing the room, or even from setting out in search of her family. But she had to think of Matt, her baby, who was safe in her arms. He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping, and so incredibly young. She hoped he was dreaming of something peaceful.

Just as Rebecca noticed that the sky was getting lighter outside, she heard the sound of familiar voices from outside the house, and her heart leapt. She gently shook Matt awake.

“Matty, sweetheart, they’re back.” She said with a smile, and in an instant Matt was on his feet. Rebecca had never seen him wake up so fast.

“All of them?” he asked a little fearfully, but before Rebecca could reply, or even let herself worry, the door was eased open.

“BEN!” Matt cried, running and throwing himself at his brother. Ben ruffled his little brother’s hair, grinning, and as Hal and Tom followed him through the door Rebecca felt the last of her worries slip away as tears sprung to her eyes. She quickly crossed the room and joined the hug, dragging Hal in too. Tom completed the family hug, and his eyes met Rebecca’s; all three of their boys were home, and safe, and right now that was all that mattered. They could worry about what was going on later. Before they could truly savour the moment, the boys descended into an argument about exactly who had stepped on whose foot, and whose fault was, and the hug broke apart. But for once Rebecca actually felt happy that her sons were arguing; it was so _normal_ for them.

 

***

 

Not long after that Rebecca had caught Ben stifling a yawn, and had insisted that all of the boys needed to sleep. It had been clear that Matt didn’t want to sleep on his own, and so it was decided that they would all share Tom and Rebecca’s bed. After yet another squabble about whose fault it was that they didn’t quite fit, Rebecca had managed to get her sons settled down, with Matt snuggled in safely between his brothers. She quietly closed the curtains, and gave each of her sons a quick kiss. Matt was already asleep, and she knew Hal and Ben wouldn’t be far behind. She made her way downstairs, and found Tom sat on the sofa with his head in his hands. He looked up as she walked in.

“I think they’ll be out for a while,” she said with a small smile as she sat beside him and laid her head on his shoulder.

“They’re exhausted.” Tom agreed, putting his arm around her, and resting his head on hers, “Did Michael Harris come by while we were gone?” Rebecca shifted to look up at him, frowning slightly.

“No, why would he have?”

“Hal and I ran into him, helped him get home. He promised he’d come to check on you and Matt while we were gone.” Tom explained, not overly surprised by her answer, “He seemed afraid to be alone outside, but he said he’d check on you and Matt.” He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed in his neighbour and friend, although he knew only too well how frightening the outside world was right now.

“What was it like out there?” Rebecca asked, feeling herself almost dreading the answer. Tom sighed, running his free hand through his hair, and she gave him a moment to collect his thoughts. He talked her through their journey to get Ben as quickly as he could, trying to avoid going into too much detail about just how bad things looked outside. It was partly an attempt to shelter her from the worst of it, but also because he didn’t want to have to think about it, to accept that it was really happening. When he finished speaking they sat in silence, both of them trying to take in this new reality.

 

***

 

Over the course of the following days the Mason family found themselves falling into a new pattern, a new normal. Dr Harris had shown up the next morning, apologising for ‘forgetting’ to check on them last night, and promising he wouldn’t do it again. He’d even suggested they all stick together; he’d brought all the food and supplies from his house with him, and took to sleeping on the sofa most nights. It was eerily quiet outside, with no passing cars or planes flying overhead. They didn’t dare leave the house, not while they had enough to eat and drink. Other people had a different idea. Small groups of people, often whole families all carrying as much as they could, walked down the street every now and then, going to who knows where. Matt would often sit at the window, watching for people passing by. He tried to wave at them, but only a few of the kids waved back. He couldn’t help but notice that everyone looked so sad and worried. Just like his parents.

Tom and Rebecca debated whether or not it was safer to stay in the house, or to try to move on. Whilst there had been no further attacks there had also been no sign of the government or anyone official. If they stayed they were vulnerable to another attack, but ultimately they couldn’t bring themselves to risk taking their children outside into that environment, and all the horrors that they would inevitably see, especially with no guarantee of a safe haven to go to. For his part, Dr Harris was adamant that they should wait at home until the military came back, to tell them that it was all over, or to escort them to a safe zone.

So they stayed home, waiting. The monopoly board saw a lot of use, with everyone sitting down together and enjoying the security of each other’s company. Matt sulked when he was told he wasn’t allowed to play outside, but Hal and Ben made a determined effort to play whatever games he wanted inside the house. If Matt ever spotted one of his brothers looking worried or sad, he’d throw his arms around them and try to make them laugh. Rebecca felt proud watching as the three of them took care of each other, even though the heart-warming scenes were regularly broken up by arguments and accusations; she knew that no matter what they’d be there for each other. She and Tom did everything they could to reassure them that everything would be alright. For a little while, everything seemed like it might actually _be_ alright.

And then the food ran out. They’d rationed it as best they could, but the day came when there was none left. After a long, tense discussion it was agreed that the three adults would take turns going on food runs. Hal had protested that he wanted to help out too, but the argument that he was needed to protect his brothers had ultimately convinced him. The first pair to go out had been Tom and Harris; Harris had been quite unsure about going, until Rebecca had commented that she wasn’t ready to be apart from her children just yet. He’d reluctantly agreed to go on the first run, although his constant worrying had meant that they’d not made it very far from home. They’d not been alone, but no one had troubled them. For now, everyone was cautiously keeping to themselves, although Tom could sense that they were heading precariously close to a precipice from which any semblance of human civilisation would vanish, and it would be each man for himself.

Every time they went out they were forced to search a little farther from home, taking it in turns to stay home with the boys. Nothing outside had changed since that night when they’d gone looking for Ben. If anything, the chaos and destruction had grown worse. Tom wished with everything he had that his boys wouldn’t have to see this. So far he’d been able to keep Matt fairly sheltered from it all. So far. The atmosphere was extremely tense; it was as if everyone was anxiously waiting to see what would happen next. The alien ship hadn’t moved since it had ‘landed’, but something was happening to it. They could only hope that something was the military working to destroy it, and not something far more sinister. While their parents were out, the boys sat huddled together. None of them could shake the fear that Tom and Rebecca wouldn’t come home, and they wouldn’t even know where to look for them. Every now and then Hal or Ben would say something like ‘They’ll be home soon’. As soon as the front door opened Matt would be there, flinging his arms around them and, more often than not, making them drop the provisions.

As the weeks drew on the situation grew more desperate. The food was growing harder and harder to find, and more than once they’d witnessed a fight break out. Some days they went hungry. But the question remained; if they were to leave, where would they go? And who could say that it wouldn’t be worse on the move than it was at home. Matt had overheard his parents discussing the issue, and had started to cry, saying that he didn’t want to go anywhere. Hal had promptly scooped him up in his arms, while Ben had frantically started setting up the Monopoly board, asking Matt if he wanted to be the dog piece; Matt had been successfully distracted, but his tears had decided the matter for now. They would stay put, for as long as they still could find food.

 

***

 

Rebecca reluctantly opened her eyes as the light knocking sound returned. Someone was at the door to their bedroom, and so she dragged herself out of bed. She could hear the sound of arguing downstairs, and wondered for the millionth time why her sons couldn’t wait until everyone was fully awake to kick off. Opening the door, she saw Matt, his little face drawn with concern and worry; a look she’d seen on it far too many times recently. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and waited for him to speak.

“Ben took too long in the bathroom this morning,” he started, “and Hal was really grumpy about it and then Ben made me breakfast but then he said he wouldn’t make any for Hal and so when he made breakfast for himself Hal took it and started eating it, even though it wasn’t for him and they’ve been arguing for ages and they won’t play with me and it’s not fair and I’m bored.” Matt whined. Rebecca sighed; yes, that sounded like her boys. It was one of _those_ mornings.

“Oh, and Dr Harris was looking for you and dad,” Matt added, his voice growing more worried, “I think he wants to go outside.” Rebecca hugged him and sent him back downstairs, promising she’d be down in a minute. Quietly she changed clothes, careful not to wake Tom. Technically it was his turn to go out, but he’d hardly been sleeping lately, and she decided to let him sleep. He needed the rest. She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, before closing the door behind her as quietly as she could.

By the time she got downstairs, the arguing had stopped. Ben was reading in the living room with Matt playing on his PSP next to him, while Hal was nowhere to be seen. This situation seemed to have resolved itself, for which she was grateful. She caught Michael and explained that she’d be going with him today because Tom was exhausted, and they agreed to leave soon. Rebecca went looking for her oldest son. She found him in his bedroom, and took a seat next to him on his bed. As soon as she sat down, he started to apologise for arguing with Ben again. It was an apology she’d heard a thousand times, and she interrupted him.

“I know you’re sorry, and I know neither of you mean it. You’re both very different people and that’s something that will probably never change, but you need to put that behind you. You’ve got to start looking out for each other, all of the time. You’re brothers.”

Hal was silent for a moment, and Rebecca could see from his face that he’d taken her words to heart, “I will Mom, I promise.”

“I know you will sweetheart.” She pulled him into a hug, before standing up, saying “I’m heading out with Michael in a minute, can you watch your brothers downstairs?”

“Of course, but didn’t you go the last two times? Isn’t it Dad’s turn this time?” Hal asked, following her into the hallway.

“It is, but he’s sleeping and he needs it. I can’t bring myself to wake him.” She turned around to look at Hal with a smile, “You’ll need to keep an eye on him too!” Hal laughed and she pulled him in for a hug, “I love you.”

“Love you too Mom!” Hal replied, before Matt dragged him into the living room to play Monopoly with him and Ben. Rebecca met Michael in the kitchen and, as they both were ready, they decided to head out. She picked up the empty duffel bag, hoping it would be full by the time she got back. It was strange how quickly all of this had started to seem routine. She called out a goodbye to her boys, and headed out of the front door with Harris, hoping they’d be home again soon.

As Matt and Hal set up the Monopoly board, Ben looked out of the window to watch his mom leave. From where he was sitting he could only see the bottom of his mom’s jeans and her pink Nikes as they disappeared from view. He tried to shake off the sudden feeling of unease, but he couldn’t. He’d feel better when his mom got home later, he always did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... any guesses what happens next? I'll be uploading every Monday until we reach the epilogue!  
> Hope anyone who has read this has enjoyed it so far! :)


	10. Chapter 10

They’d given up on Monopoly an hour or so before they heard the first indication that the violence had started again. Matt had run to the window trying to see what was happening, but Hal and Ben had pulled him back.

“Mom’s not back yet.” Ben had whispered, as he caught Hal’s eye, but for once his big brother couldn’t think of anything to say in reply. The sound of footsteps on the stairs drew their attention, as Tom called out for his family; the sound of the fighting had finally woken him. His hair was still dishevelled from sleep, and his eyes were wide with panic.

“Boys, where’s your mom? She should have woken me a while ago. We need to stay inside and safe and then we can-” his voice trailed away as he registered the looks on his sons’ faces, and their lack of a response to his question.

“Where’s your mom?” he asked again, a little louder. The sound of explosions and gunfire in the distance seemed louder than ever. Finally, Hal spoke up.

“She went on a food run with Dr Harris.”

“No, that can’t be,” Tom shook his head, trying to calm the rising surge of panic, “It’s my turn today,” he started to walk towards the kitchen calling, “Rebecca!” She wasn’t there. It was true. She was out _there_ ; she was in danger. He had to get to her.

“I’ll be back later, you stay home, stay safe,” He didn’t look at his sons as he walked past them, his mind on his wife and getting to her. Just then a particularly loud explosion rocked the house.

“You can’t go out there!” Ben protested.

“I’ll come with you!” Hal offered with a determined tone that didn’t match the look of fear on his face. Matt just started to cry.

“No, stay here. Stay safe.” Tom ordered, opening the front door.

“Dad please, don’t leave us alone!” Matt cried running and throwing his arms around Tom’s waist. Slowly, Tom turned around and finally looked at his boys. They were clearly terrified and Tom knew Rebecca would never forgive him if he left them alone right now. He’d never forgive himself. Walking back inside, he shut the front door behind him.

Tom pulled his sons into a hug, “We’ll all wait here together, your mom will be back soon.”

 

***

 

The straps of the duffel bag dug into Rebecca’s hands as she carried it. They’d been lucky and found enough food to last them for a while and she was grateful that Harris was there to help her carry it. Now they could all stay home and safe for a while. Despite the dark clouds overhead, Rebecca smiled to herself. Maybe it would all be okay after all.

The moment of peace was shattered in an instant, as the sound of screams filled the air.

“They’re coming!”

“It’s starting again!”

Something flew past close over their heads, followed by a loud explosion just ahead of them. Then another, somewhere in the distance. And another. The air was full of screams and smoke and cries. She saw a little boy crying for his mommy, who was lying bleeding at his feet, before he was swept up and away in the arms of a weeping man. The sight snapped Rebecca out of her unmoving shock. Hal. Ben. Matt. Tom. Her boys needed her. She needed to know if they were okay.

“Michael, come on. We have to get home. We have to get this food home.” Rebecca kept her voice firm, trying to control the panic and not let it show. Michael looked like he was panicking enough for the both of them. She couldn’t afford to lose her control now. Beginning to walk forward, she pulled on the bag and to her relief Harris followed. It would be safer to drop the food and run, but she knew how much her boys needed this food. Matt looked so small; smaller than usual. She needed to do this for them.

A stream of people was suddenly pushing past them, running in the opposite direction, their faces masks of terror. It wasn’t long before she saw the cause of their panic. It wasn’t the ships flying overheard. It was on the ground with them.

Rebecca heard it before she saw it. A strange mechanical groan, followed by a loud thump. Then another, and another, growing closer, and closer. It rounded the corner onto the street, looking like something out of a work of science fiction. It wasn’t fiction anymore.

Before Rebecca had the chance to do anything more than gasp in shock, the strange new machine lifted its arm, beams of light flying towards them, like the tracking light from a sniper rifle, and it fired. The spray of bullets tore through the few people standing in front of them. It fired again, and Rebecca screamed as a searing pain shot through her leg, and when she pressed her hands to the source of the pain she was shocked to see them covered in blood. She’d been shot.

She had to get home. The sinister groaning started again as the machine began to move down the street, closer. Rebecca tried to move, to run but the pain was too much, and she stumbled. She reached out to hold onto Michael, but he took a step back. His eyes were fixed on the alien machine.

“Michael, I can’t walk on my own.” Rebecca tried to get his attention, but he wouldn’t look at her, “Michael, please.” She pleaded. They had to get out of here. He finally turned to face her, and she could see that he was shaking. Then the machine raised its arm again, ready to fire, and he ducked behind a car, leaving her stranded in the open. It was an unfortunate choice of hiding place, as the next spray of bullets were shot straight into the car in front, causing it to explode. Harris was sent flying as Rebecca, hunched over her duffel bag, was blown backwards. She managed to avoid being hit by any debris, and, with her ears ringing, saw Harris finding his way to his feet, clutching his arm. The machine turned around, distracted by something in the other direction. This would be their chance to escape. But Rebecca couldn’t get away on her own.

“Michael please, help me.” She pleaded, “I have to get to my family. Please.” She felt the tears as they fell, her desperation taking away any vestige of control that she had left. Michael took a step towards her and she felt a flicker of hope.

But then he stopped dead in his tracks, “I’m sorry,” he managed to say, before turning and running away.

“Michael!” Rebecca called after him; he couldn’t be leaving her alone. The eerie groaning sound came again, and Rebecca saw that the machine was once again advancing towards her. She tried to run, but the pain was too much and she fell to the ground. The machine opened fire again, and she felt another stab of pain as a bullet pierced her side. She clutched desperately to her duffel bag; just a few minutes ago it had represented such hope for her family. She’d really believed that they would all be okay. The machine groaned closer, and Rebecca shut her eyes, her body shaking with pain.

Images started to flash before her eyes. Her parents, laughing and clapping as she rode a bike for the first time. Her high school prom, when she’d thought she was going to be with her first love for the rest of her life. Meeting Tom and feeling such a rush of nerves as he asked her on a date. His proposal and the accompanying historical anecdote. And her sons. Driving all the way to her parents’ house to wave the pregnancy test at them when she found out she was pregnant with Hal, the feeling of holding them all in her arms for the first time and every time after. Hal cheering on the field when he scored a goal in lacrosse, Ben’s face lighting up as he told her every intricate detail of the book he was currently reading, Matt’s excitement when he woke up on his birthday. She could hear their laughter, see their smiles. She could feel them with her even now; Tom, Hal, Ben, Matt. Her love for her family was so fierce, and she knew that they would be strong enough to carry on without her. She knew they would make her proud; they already had. She just wished she could be there with them.

A deadly silence filled the air and Rebecca opened her eyes. The machine was so close now and behind it she saw a flash of something green scurrying around. She shut her eyes again; she didn’t want to see that, she wanted to be with her family.

The pain was starting to fade, and she felt so tired. She remembered how peaceful Tom had looked this morning while asleep, and how the last time she’d seen them her boys they’d been laughing, happy, together. She knew they’d find that happiness again. They’d be there for each other.

“I love you.” She whispered, their faces bright before her eyes, before everything faded away and the world went black.

 

***

 

The attack seemed to have quieted down. The sound of explosions and gunfire no longer filled the air, although the occasional ship was still flying around overhead. The silence inside the house was crushing, with each passing moment that Rebecca didn’t walk through the door making it worse. Finally, Tom couldn’t take it anymore. He carefully passed Matt over to Hal and Ben, and stood up, stretching as he did so.

“You’re gonna go get mom now, aren’t you?” Matt asked quietly. He didn’t want his dad to leave them, but he didn’t want his mom to be on her own either. It wasn’t quite as scary now that it was quieter outside.

“I am,” Tom tried to keep his voice level and calm, “You three stay here, I’m sure we’ll be back soon. I need you to keep each other safe.” They all looked so serious and so worried and it killed Tom to leave them like that, but Rebecca should have been back by now, and the fear of what might have happened to her was pushing him onwards. He gave them a smile as reassuring as he could make it, and headed out to look for his wife.

He knew where she and Harris had intended to forage, as they’d talked it through the night before. It was further out than they’d gone so far, and closer to the centre of the city. Closer to where much of the smoke was now. Tom shook himself; he couldn’t think like that. He was going to find Rebecca keeping herself safe somewhere, and bring her home. They’d figure out what to do next once they were all back together.

He tried not to look too closely at the bodies he passed, although they grew in number the further he went. He could see enough to know that there were no survivors lying in the street. He could feel his pulse racing and he began to walk faster, his feet moving on autopilot.

Then he saw her.

He was at her side in a moment, calling her name and pulling her into his arms. She didn’t reply, didn’t open her eyes, and he knew. He knew before his mind had processed the blood pooled under her, before he felt for her pulse and found nothing, before he truly took in the destruction around her.

Tom couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be true; it couldn’t have happened. Rebecca couldn’t be _dead._

He didn’t notice that he was crying until the first sob wracked his body. All he knew was that his wife was gone, she’d died alone in the street and he didn’t know how to deal with that. So he sat there, holding her in his arms as though she was just sleeping, and sobbed.

She deserved so much more than this. She was such a good person, a good friend, a good wife, a good _mother_. Tom held her tighter as he thought about what this would do to their boys. He knew she’d always been a better parent; she’d always been the one they ran to when they fell down, the one who always knew the right thing to say. How could they go on without her?

Tom wasn’t sure how long he sat there, shaking and crying and sobbing and holding his lifeless wife in his arms. But finally he realised he had to get home. He carefully stood up, carrying Rebecca in his arms just as he had on their wedding day when he’d carried her across the threshold and she’d laughed so much at him for being so traditional.

“It’s okay, I’ll get you home.”

 

***

 

Hal saw them first. He’d taken it upon himself to keep watch for any signs of danger outside, or for any sign of their parents. He felt like the world stopped spinning when his father walked into view.

“Ben, take Matt upstairs.” Hal managed to say, turning to look at his brothers. All the colour had drained from Hal’s face, and Ben knew what had happened. He couldn’t move.

“Why?” Matt asked, “I want to wait here for mom and dad!”

“Ben please, go upstairs with Matt.” Hal asked again, his voice desperate, tears threatening to fall at any moment. He tried to push them away and towards the stairs, but stopped when Tom eased the door open. Tom didn’t say a word as he walked past them, heading towards the back door; he barely even seemed to notice that they were there. Ben fell to his knees shutting his eyes tight as the tears slipped out, as though that would make it all go away. Matt screamed “Mom!” and tried to run towards her, but Hal pulled him back and held him while he started to scream and cry. Hal just felt numb.

A little while later Tom walked back in. His clothes were stained with blood, but he didn’t seem to notice. The walk home had felt so long, and with each step he’d withdrawn further and further inside of himself, trying to shut out the pain.

“We need to go back for the provisions. It can’t be for nothing.” Tom announced, his voice a little crazed “Hal, I need you to come with me.”

“No!” Matt cried, “No, you can’t go back outside, it’s not safe!” Tom acted as though he hadn’t heard him, moving towards the door. Somewhere inside of him he knew he should stop, should wait, should be there for his boys. But that would mean letting himself feel and he couldn’t do that, not when the weight of it would crush him. Rebecca had been holding on to the bag so tightly, it had been so important to her, he had to go and get it. Her death couldn’t have been in vain.

“Ben, look after your brother.” He ordered, before turning around and seeing that none of them had moved, “Hal, we are leaving, now!”

“It’s alright Matt, we’ll be home soon.” Hal pulled himself together enough to say. Ben dragged himself to his feet and pulled Matt closer. He nodded at Hal, who turned and followed Tom out of the door.

They walked in silence, Tom staring straight ahead and Hal doing his best to look at nothing but the back of his father’s head. It was so much worse out here than it had when they’d gone to look for Ben.

“It’s over there, help me carry it.” Tom finally broke the silence, gesturing just ahead. Hal followed him, a feeling of dread washing over him as he stepped around a solitary pink Nike. This was where it happened. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realised that the bag was lying in a pool of blood. His mom’s blood.

Hal couldn’t help the inarticulate noise that burst out of him as he fell to his knees just as Ben had earlier. The tears that he’d been so successfully keeping at bay for the sake of his brothers came flooding out and he couldn’t stop them.

Tom turned at the noise, and his eyes followed Hal’s to the pool of blood. He snapped back into himself, going to his son and purposefully blocking his view of the blood. He couldn’t believe he’d brought him here, and he knew Rebecca would have been furious. She’d been gone for a few hours and he’d already messed up so much.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” Hal sobbed, wishing he could be stronger for his dad. Tom shook his head and pulled Hal closer.

“No, I’m the one whose sorry, you shouldn’t have to see this. It’s okay, I’m here.” They sat like that until Hal’s sobs subsided. It was only when they tried to lift the bag, and realised it was definitely too heavy for Rebecca to have been carrying alone, that Hal remembered something.

“What about Dr Harris?” They looked, but could find no sign of him. Tom was weighing up whether they should stay and look for him, or get back to Ben and Matt, when he heard something from further down the street. The groaning, thumping noise was coming from the ground level, and getting closer. He ran to Hal and pulled him down out of sight. The source of the sound was more terrifying than Tom had imagined, and the image of Rebecca facing up to one of them filled his head and he had to hold in his scream of anger and pain. The strange alien robot didn’t stop in the street they were in, but continued on to the next. When he was sure it was gone, he pulled a stunned Hal to his feet.

“We have to get back.”

 

***

 

When they made it home Matt and Ben weren’t inside. They were sitting in the garden, staring at Rebecca as she lay on the picnic table. When Hal asked what Ben was thinking by letting Matt out there, Ben simply said that Matt had started crying and screaming again, and had only calmed down when he’d brought him outside. Tom pulled them all together and held them close for a long moment, before telling them to go inside and wait for him there. He put Hal in charge, and went to the shed to get a shovel. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now, but he knew he couldn’t leave her like that. When he came back the boys were still there, staring at their mother, and he gave them a moment to say goodbye.

As Hal lead his younger brothers inside he forced himself to bury his grief; his family needed him now, and he wouldn’t help anyone by letting himself get lost in his pain. The last thing Rebecca had said to him was to look out for his family, and he did not intend on letting her down. Matt clutched his brothers’ hands, unable to stop himself from crying. It didn’t feel real, and he just wanted to wake up from the nightmare. Ben turned around for one last look, and the sight of his mom lying on the picnic table, with one shoe missing, was burned into his brain. He didn’t want to remember her like that.

 

***

 

Tom had just finished burying his wife, next to her favourite flowers, when he heard the sound that he now knew meant those robots were approaching. He rushed inside, and found his sons lined up staring out of the window. He quickly pulled them down and out of sight. The house shook with each thundering step.

“I can’t believe they’re really real,” Ben whispered, “Real aliens.”

Tom nodded, whispering back, “I know, Hal and I saw one earlier.”

“No, they’re different from before.” Hal insisted, his voice shaking. Apprehensively Tom looked out of the window, and he saw them. Aliens. Green, with far too many legs and such an unnatural movement. Tom felt a rush of rage mixed in with his fear. These were the creatures behind all of this. Then he saw something else. Some of them were carrying children, who appeared to be asleep. They were taking children. Tom ducked back down, and instinctively drew his boys closer.

 

***

 

When Tom announced that they were going to leave, Matt had started to cry again, but he hadn’t protested. Even he knew it wasn’t safe anymore. Tom told his boys to go upstairs and pack some bags with essential items, while he collected what they needed from downstairs and divided the food from the duffel bag into lighter amounts. Rebecca had pinned a list to the fridge of what they would need if they should ever decide to leave. Tom gave himself a moment to cry before he forced himself back to the task at hand.

Once the boys came back downstairs, Hal carrying an extra bag that he had packed for his dad, Tom split everything he had collected between them. Then he announced that they were going to leave now, before the aliens came back. His boys looked scared and sad and it broke Tom’s heart even more, but he stayed practical.

As they headed out the door Ben lagged behind, taking a picture from its frame and slipping it into his pocket. He wanted one nice memory to take with him. As they reached the end of their driveway the four of them stopped to look back at their house.

“Will we come back?” Matt asked, his little voice wobbly.

“I don’t know,” Tom replied honestly, “I hope so.” Quietly, he began to walk on, not entirely sure where they were going, but knowing they had to move on. As the Mason family walked away from their home, the absence of one member of their family was so painfully clear, and their hearts were heavy with grief and fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… I hope you enjoyed that chapter… I know I made myself cry writing it – I just hope I did Rebecca and the Masons justice!
> 
> Let me know what you think of the chapter! This last week has felt very long, so I’m considering making it a bi-weekly upload instead, but we’ll see! 
> 
> As you probably guessed... this was the character death in the tags!


	11. Chapter 11

In the days following Rebecca’s death, there wasn’t much time for grief. The remaining Masons were always on the move, trying to find a safe haven. For the most part people avoided one another, but occasionally they ran into someone willing to talk, to share what they had heard. One person said there was a group gathering at Hal and Ben’s school, but by the time they got there all they found were bodies. Later, they heard that people had established a base at the mall, but they’d found it empty, the stores picked clean. Everywhere they went they saw the signs of destruction. There was no hiding from it.

There was one thing Tom noticed in particular. The dead bodies were almost all adults, disproportionately so. His mind went back to that night peering out of his window, watching the aliens carrying the sleeping children. He didn’t want to think about why they were taking the children.

So they kept moving, stopping to take breaks and to look for supplies whenever they could, just in case. Tom kept himself mission focused, and his mission was to keep his boys alive. It was Hal and Ben who noticed Matt growing more withdrawn and quiet, and it was Hal and Ben who held his hand and carried him as often as they could. Tom would ruffle his hair and tell him to stay focused. He had to keep them all alive and he couldn’t slow down, he couldn’t let his guard slip.

One night they set themselves up in an empty shop, in the backroom. It had been a long day, and they were all exhausted. Tom made his way to the front, to keep watch, while his boys slept. He’d swap with Hal or Ben in a few hours, if he needed to. He also liked to sleep in a different room so he could let himself cry for a while, without worrying his boys. They had enough to deal with. At night, when he had nothing to do but to sit and be on the lookout, there wasn’t much Tom could do to stop his mind from wandering into the painful subjects he was trying so hard to avoid.

After a little while, he heard the sound of Matt crying, and he eased himself up. He didn’t want to lower his guard, but he knew Matt needed him. Maybe leaving them alone wasn’t the best idea. However, as he walked up to the door he heard quiet voices, and slowed down so he could see into the room without being seen himself.

Hal was holding Matt while he cried, and Ben was sitting up next to them. They were talking, trying to make him laugh, talking about their mom, about how they wouldn’t have to do homework again, and slowly, Matt stopped crying. Tom forgot all about his ideas of keeping watch as he listened to his sons talk. They were comforting each other, and Tom was worried that if he tried to join them they’d stop. Eventually Matt fell asleep, and Tom heard Ben start to cry, saying he didn’t want Matt to see but he missed mom. Hal stayed awake with him and talked to him until they both fell asleep. Tom risked another glance into the room and saw them all asleep, Matt in Hal’s arms, with Ben the other side. His heart filled with love and pride and he had to go and sit down to let himself cry; Rebecca should be here. Rebecca would be so proud. Rebecca wouldn’t have left them to have to comfort each other.

 

***

 

Tom jerked awake to the sound of voices in the other room, cursing himself for falling asleep, he stood up slowly. It was only as he fully woke up that he realised the voices he could hear weren’t the quiet voices of his sons. They were loud and angry. His heart leapt in fear.

“They’re just kids Mike!” one voice said.

“We need the food, hand it over.” Another sounded, harsher than the first.

Tom looked about anxiously for something he could use as a weapon, but he found nothing.

“It’s ours, you can’t have it!” It was Matt, defiant as a seven-year-old could be. His words were met by laughter, and Tom eased up to the door, peering through the slit. His sons were stood against the walls facing a group of four men, all armed with guns. Pointed at his sons. A back door that Tom had missed earlier was open.

Hal and Ben had tried to push Matt behind them, but Matt squeezed his way through, snatching up some food that one of the men had been about to take, protesting “It’s not fair!” One of the men reached to grab hold of Matt, and Hal jumped forward to protect his brother, just as Ben grabbed Matt and forced him behind him. Before Tom could process what was happening, the man who had gone after Matt raised his gun and smacked Hal across the head with it. Hal went down hard and Tom burst into the room before he could stop himself. Two of the guns swung around to point at him

“Please don’t hurt them!” he begged, his eyes darting from the guns to Ben and Matt, to Hal who was slowly sitting up, his hand to his face, which was now bleeding. Matt was crying again.

“Oh look boys, Daddy’s here.” The man who had hit Hal said. He was clearly the leader, “I thought you kids said you were alone.”

“It doesn’t matter Mike, we can just take the stuff and go.” The man from before spoke again. He looked very unsure about the whole situation.

“Yes, yes take whatever you want.” Tom nodded, gesturing to their supplies, “We won’t fight you.” He took a small step forward, then another. Until he was stood between the boys and the guns.

“You’re right, we can take whatever we want.” Mike agreed. Time seemed to stand still as the men took hold of all the supplies, stuffing their food and water into their bags. Mike even gestured for Matt to give back the food he’d taken, and after a nod from Tom he did as he was told, glaring at the men through his tears.

“Good boy.” Mike jeered. Finally, they were done. Tom felt his heartbeat slowly start to slow as the men headed back out the door, until Mike called back with a laugh that made Tom’s skin crawl, “You better watch those kids, wouldn’t want the crawlies getting them.” The man who’d seemed unsure hung back, before reaching into his bag and pulling out a bottle of water, and a small bag of food.

“For the little one.” He muttered, before heading out the door. Tom rushed to it, bolting it shut and pushing an empty shelf against it. Ben and Matt went straight to Hal, who shrugged them off insisting he was fine. Tom pulled them all close. He could feel them shaking, just as much as he was.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He whispered over and over. As his initial fear over what had just happened, and relief that they were all safe started to subside, a new fear started to take over. They'd taken almost all the food and water, and it was getting harder and harder to find. It was no doubt what had pushed those men over the edge. Society had well and truly crumbled.

Tom shuddered as he wondered how he and his boys would survive it on their own, with hardly any food.

 

***

 

The next few days were especially bleak. The meagre amount of food that they had left ran out quickly, and their days were spent in a desperate search for food. They weren’t the only ones; it was chaos. Tom did his best to stay away from other people, feeling suspicious of anyone he saw, or anyone who looked twice at his boys. Hal’s black eye was a constant reminder that no one was to be trusted in this new world.

It was two days after they were robbed that they finally learnt what the aliens were doing to the kids they snatched. And it was awful. The strange devices on their backs seemed to be controlling them, sucking out their personalities and free will and turning them into obedient little worker drones. Tom wasn’t sure that dying wasn’t a better alternative. Although surely there’d be a way to save the children. There had to be. All he knew for sure is that he’d die before he let one of his boys be captured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to update on Fridays and Mondays! It means it’ll be over sooner, but as it’s all written I might as well! :)
> 
> There’s a little foreshadowing in this chapter for what might be coming soon… It’s not obvious at all……


	12. Chapter 12

The desperate need for food had forced Tom to do something he’d vowed never to do; split up. He would take Matt with him, sending Hal and Ben together with strict instructions to keep to themselves. A rendezvous point was arranged for every hour or so, and with each minute that they were separated anxiety gnawed at Tom, even more so than it did every minute of every day in this new world. But they all knew it was necessary.

Hal and Ben took it very seriously, moving carefully and quietly and avoiding strangers. Both of them wanted to make sure Matt had enough food. They found rare moments to talk though, free to discuss topics they avoided in front of their dad and Matt out of a fear that they might upset them. They wondered about how their friends were doing. They’d not seen anyone they knew, and they couldn’t help but consider what might have happened to them. It was strange how quickly the world had changed, and how although they worried for their friends and mourned the fact that they would likely never see them again, it was more of a dull ache, faded behind their more pressing concerns. Like keeping their family safe, making sure Matt ate something and trying to make sure their dad knew he wasn’t alone. And missing their mom. Maybe if they ran into the people they had known it would be different. But the world in which they’d been a part of their lives was gone, seeming more and more like a distant dream.

They'd been fairly quiet that morning though, as something in the air kept them on edge. Ben’s nerves had made him want to talk, to fill the uneasy silence, but Hal’s replies had been terse, making it clear he wasn’t in the mood for conversation. The streets had been particularly deserted, and more than once they’d considered turning back. But Matt had looked so hungry that morning and they hadn’t found anything yet. They’d go back soon.

Turning into another street, Ben almost walked into Hal when he stopped dead in front of him. All the colour drained from Ben’s face as he came to stand next to his brother and saw what had made him stop so suddenly.

The road ahead was blocked by two of the alien robots, flanked by several of the creepy green aliens. There was no way they hadn’t been seen. There was no way they’d be able to outrun them.

“Oh my god,” Ben breathed, as the two brothers stood frozen to the spot. One of the green aliens took a few steps towards them, almost inquisitively.  Hal reached out and took hold of Ben’s arm instinctively. For a moment the world stood still.

Then the robot raised its arm and Hal leapt into action, pushing Ben out of the way. The blast hit Hal, and Ben cried out as he watched his brother fall.

Then complete chaos descended. Two SUVS screeched onto the street from the other direction, the people inside immediately opening fire and causing the aliens to turn away from the boys. Ben felt his adrenaline kick in; he was terrified but he had to save Hal just as his brother had tried to save him. He rushed to his side and was relieved to find that he was unconscious and not… Ben needed to get him out of here while he still could. But where to go? There was no way he could carry his brother, but he might be able to drag him a short distance; for the first time in his life Ben truly regretted not being more athletic. There was no time to hesitate and, as a few stray bullets passed precariously close to them, Ben made his decision.

Awkwardly he began to drag Hal towards the nearest building. Hopefully they could hide there until the danger passed and Hal woke up.

“You can open your eyes anytime, Hal,” Ben muttered, “This is no time to take a nap.” Slowly, far slower than he would have liked, Ben managed to get his brother inside, the sound of the fight still raging all around them. It didn’t seem like the humans were doing too well, and Ben shuddered. By the time he had dragged Hal behind an upturned table, the best defence Ben could think of, his arms were burning.

“Guess we know who’s been eating all the food.” He muttered, pausing to listen for Hal’s sarcastic response out of habit. But his brother just lay there. He didn’t look very comfortable, and Ben found himself taking Hal’s jacket from where it was tied around his waist and placing it under his head like a pillow. Then he snapped back to the situation at hand.

He crept back to the door and peered out. The fight was still going, but the humans seemed to be the only ones taking any casualties, posing nothing more than a nuisance. Ben had never felt more hopeless. A thought he instantly regretted when two of the green aliens and one of the robots had turned back around, uninterested in the skirmish waging in front of them. Ben knew that they were looking for him and Hal. They needed to run.

Desperately he went back to his brother, shaking him and whispering his name as loudly as he dared. Hal was still out cold, and Ben couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable and defenceless his usually tough big brother looked. Another glance outside, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before their hiding place was discovered.

Then it dawned on him. He had to lead them away; he had to save Hal.

It would be easy, he told himself. He could go out the side door, create a distraction, run in the opposite direction with the aliens following him. Then he’d lose them and double back. It would be… Easy. Ben closed his eyes tight, fear threatening to overwhelm him. Hal was the one who would be able to do something like this, and Ben felt an irrational anger that his brother had pushed him out of the way. He’d _pushed him out of the way_. Ben opened his eyes and looked at his brother. He had to do this, for Hal, because Hal would do the same for him. And for Matt, who’d need his oldest brother to protect him. And for Tom, because Ben knew that Hal was already stepping in to help him in ways no seventeen-year-old should be expected to. And for his mom, who had always wanted her sons to look out for each other.

Before he could let his terror get the better of him, Ben stood up. He gave Hal one last look, hoping with everything he had that he’d see him again soon. Slowly, begging his shaking legs not to give out on him, he made his way to the door. Creeping onto the adjacent street, he could hear that the aliens were close. Absently his hand found the picture in his pocket, the picture capturing his family smiling and happy and whole. He took a deep breath.

Then, making as much noise as he could, Ben began to run.

 

***

 

Tom ran through the streets, his heart racing in his chest, holding Matt as tightly as he could. Yet again he’d found himself hearing the distant sounds of gunfire while he was separated from part of his family. He’d grabbed Matt without saying a word; getting to the rendezvous point as quickly as possible was the only thing on his mind. But when they got there Hal and Ben weren’t there waiting for him, and he tried not to let Matt see how frightened he was. Surely Hal and Ben would know to come back to the rendezvous point if fighting broke out nearby. Unless… unless they were caught up in it. The more time that passed without his oldest two sons turning up, the more uncertain Tom became.

He couldn’t take Matt towards the fighting. Could he leave him here alone and go looking for Hal and Ben? Matt’s grip on his hand was painfully tight, and he flinched with every loud sound that came. Hal and Ben were together, and they might not even be in danger. Tom knew he had to wait with Matt. Hal and Ben would get there soon.

But when the sounds of gunfire died away there was still no sign of Hal and Ben. The sky was beginning to grow darker, and Tom knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He took Matt deep inside the house, where they’d spent the last night, and told him to lock himself in the bathroom until he was sure it was Tom at the door. Matt looked scared, but as he threw his arms around Tom he said, “Find Hal and Ben,” and his voice was brave.

It felt like a betrayal to leave him there alone, and Tom couldn’t help but wonder how many more of these impossible choices he’d be forced to make. He wasn’t sure how many more he _could_ make. Hal and Ben should have been back by now, and it was taking all of Tom’s self-control not to fear the worst.

He followed the path his boys would have taken an hour or so earlier, keeping close to buildings ready to duck out of sight should he run into anyone. Or any _thing._ He wasn’t entirely sure where to look as Hal and Ben could have sought shelter in any of the buildings he passed. He just hoped that they were on their way back, and that he’d run into them soon. But as he walked further and further from the rendezvous point, he couldn’t help but realise he was walking closer and closer to the site of the fighting.

Tom turned onto the next street, and felt a wave of nausea rush over him at the sight that greeted him. He wasn’t sure that he’d ever get used to seeing dead bodies; especially when his sons could be among them. He felt his feet moving before his brain caught up with them, as he rushed over. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Hal and Ben weren’t there, before feeling a sense of guilt. There had been a real battle here, although he couldn’t see a single alien casualty. It looked like it had been a bloodbath, and he was thankful that his sons hadn’t been there when it happened.

And then he saw the bag he’d given Hal that morning, lying in the middle of the street.

“No, no, no.” Tom muttered, walking back towards it with a renewed sense of panic. He knew the aliens took kids, but he couldn’t allow himself to consider that it had happened to his sons. It was unthinkable.

Desperately he scanned the area, looking for any sign of them. If they’d been here when the fighting started, surely they’d have sought cover just as he’d told them to. He’d find them hiding in the basement of a building, unsure if it was safe to come out. Everything would be fine. He picked up the bag, slinging it over his shoulder, began to search the surrounding buildings.

He found nothing until the third building he searched. Walking cautiously in, he spotted a foot poking out from behind an overturned table, and rushed over. After the stress of the day so far, finding his oldest son lying unmoving at the scene of a fight brought back terrible memories of Rebecca, of what Tom had thought would be the worst day of his life.

“Hal!” He cried, dropping to his knees by his son and feeling for a pulse. Thankfully he found one, and he instinctively took Hal’s hand, as if to reassure Hal that he wasn’t alone. Then he jumped to his feet again. Where was Ben?

Tom called his middle son’s name, although a part of him had already realised that he wouldn’t get an answer. He quickly searched the rest of the building, and found no sign of him.

“Ben?” He called out again, coming back to stand beside Hal. He noticed that Hal’s jacket had been placed under his head, and Tom knew that Ben was the only person who would have done such a thoughtful thing. Then he finally spotted that the side door was open and rushed to it. There was no sign of Ben, and Tom risked shouting out for him. Nothing.

Ben would never leave his brother alone and unprotected voluntarily, and the aliens would either have taken Hal too… or killed him. A picture slowly began to fill Tom’s head; Ben distracting the aliens to keep them away from his big brother. Ben out there scared and alone and most likely a prisoner. Was he hurt? He must be so frightened…

“No.” Tom shook his head again to dispel the image. It couldn’t be true. There had to be some other explanation.

“Dad?” Tom jumped with surprise at the sound of Hal’s voice, weak and croaky as he came back to consciousness. Tom was at his side in an instant, pulling him close for a hug. After quickly scanning to check that Hal was unhurt, Tom took a firm hold of his shoulders to steady him.

“Where’s Ben?” He asked, keeping his voice as calm as he could. Hal took a second to reply, looking around him in confusion.

“I don’t- Where are we?” He sounded as confused as he looked, then a look of panic crossed his face, “They were right in front of us, they were going to get us and I, I tried to push Ben out of the way so he could escape and then-” His voice trailed off, his eyes wide with panic and confusion.

“How did you get in here? Did you see where Ben went?” Tom demanded again, shaking Hal slightly to try to get him to focus on the only thing that mattered right now, “Where is your brother?” Hal met his eyes slowly, and Tom thought he’d never seen his eldest son look so defeated.

“I don’t know,” Hal whispered so quietly that Tom could hardly hear him, “I don’t know where Ben is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... that's it for Ben in this fic... At least we all know it ends up okay!! Hope I did it justice!
> 
> (In my mind, in S02E06 Homecoming, when Tom found Hal unconscious on the roof and knew that Ben was gone, he was flashing back to this moment, to the first time he lost Ben... and feeling like it was all happening again!)


	13. Chapter 13

They waited as long as possible at the rendezvous point for Ben to return, knowing that with each passing day that possibility grew more and more unlikely. After a few days their supply of food had well and truly run out, even though there was now one less person who needed it, and Tom knew that they needed to move on. Losing Rebecca had felt like losing a limb; Tom still caught himself occasionally making a mental note to mention something to her when he saw her later, or thinking about how something would have made her laugh. Losing Ben was somehow worse. He had no idea what was happening to him, and not knowing where his child was or if he was in pain or frightened was the hardest thing Tom had ever experienced.

“We’ll find Ben,” Hal said as they packed up their meagre belongings to leave, seeing how upset Tom looked and making sure he spoke loud enough for Matt to hear. It had been eerily quiet without Ben, but Hal had been doing everything he could to distract Matt and to make sure his dad didn’t worry about him. His mom had asked him to look after their family and he might have failed with Ben, but he was determined not to fail with Matt or Tom. His father had just nodded, forcing a smile and agreeing with him.

 They left early one morning, none of them feeling up to talking. Over the course of the next few days Tom kept them moving as much as possible, keeping an eye out for supplies. Each of them was also looking for any sign of Ben, but to no avail. On the third day they had to hide while a group of alien controlled kids and their accompanying aliens marched past; Tom had found himself scanning each child’s face desperately, looking for Ben. When he didn’t recognise a single face he wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or disappointed that his son wasn’t there, that he was still lost. He’d caught Hal’s eye and seen the same emotions on his face.

It felt utterly wrong that their family was down to just the three of them. It became an unspoken ache that they all felt; none of them mentioned that Ben was missing or that Rebecca was gone but their absence was keenly felt. Even with the reduced numbers of their family, they struggled to find enough food. Tom and Hal always made sure that Matt got a sizeable portion of anything they did find, but it wasn’t enough. Tom tried to make Hal take some of his share, but Hal always insisted that he was fine. Tom knew that was a lie; none of them were _fine._ He could see that his sons were looking thinner and thinner and he felt completely helpless to do anything about it. The lack of food wasn’t their only problem. People were scared and desperate, and everywhere they went Tom could see the hopelessness of the situation. Society as they had known it was gone, and all that was left was everyone fighting to keep themselves alive; it was every man for himself. He wasn’t sure how much longer they’d be able to keep going. Tom found himself wondering what Rebecca would do if she was here; he felt sure she’d be doing a better job of making sure the boys were okay. All three of them.

Matt had been getting nightmares again, but when he woke Tom was no longer able to tell him it was just a bad dream. It was all too real. Hal had taken to holding him while he fell asleep, and most of the time he slept better that way. Tom would often sit and watch them, wishing they could still be as innocent as they looked while they were asleep, wishing that this wasn’t their reality. He wished that Ben was here too.

This night Matt seemed to be sleeping soundly, safe with his big brother. Tom felt tired to his bones, but he was determined to keep watch for as long as he could; even though he and Hal had pushed something in front of the door. For a moment, it almost felt peaceful and Tom’s eyes began to close. They snapped open at a sudden noise in the room. It had come from the corner where Matt and Hal were sleeping, and Tom prepared himself to deal with another of Matt’s nightmares. But Matt was still sleeping peacefully.

Hal gave another inarticulate cry, this time waking himself up and jolting upright. He took a deep breath, and checked to see that Matt was sleeping, before quietly moving to sit away with his head in his hands. Tom could see that he was shaking, and knew that he hadn’t realised his dad was awake. Tom hesitated for a second, unsure of what to do. Rebecca had always been better at taking care of Hal, she’d always been the one who knew what to say. She should be here.

Tom gave himself a mental shake, and made his way over to his eldest son. As he got closer he realised that Hal was crying, sobbing really, as silently as he could. Hal jumped when Tom sat down next to him, rubbing his eyes and trying to regulate his breathing.

“Sorry if I woke you,” Hal managed to say with a small smile, and Tom was surprised by how composed he sounded, “Couldn’t sleep.” Tom detected a small wobble in his son’s voice, and it hit him just how much Hal was holding in, and just how strong he was. How strong he’d had to be.

“I’m here, you know. You don’t have to be strong all the time.” Tom kept his voice quiet so as not to disturb Matt, but he put his arm around Hal and held him close. For a moment it was quiet, and then Hal finally let it out, leaning into his father as he let the tears fall.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He sobbed, “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. Ben’s gone and it’s _my fault_. I’m so sorry.” Tom pulled him closer, wrapping both of his arms around him and holding him tightly.

“Shhh, it’s not your fault, none of it is _your_ fault. You have been so strong, so brave.” Tom felt tears welling in his own eyes at the realisation that Hal had been blaming himself for what had happened to Ben this whole time, and he hadn’t seen it.

“It should have been _me_.” Hal could barely get the words out. For a moment Tom was speechless, unable to comprehend how or why his son would think something like that; deep down he knew he’d been feeling like that himself but… his sons deserved so much better than this. Why hadn’t he noticed what was going on with Hal sooner?

“Don’t you _ever_ think that. Not ever. Ben wouldn’t want you to think like that.” Tom took a deep breath, “You’re here, you’re safe. Matt’s safe. And like you keep saying, we will find Ben again. That’s what matters.”  He kept murmuring reassurances, and Hal felt some of the burden lifting from his shoulders as his dad held him. He knew it was still his job to look after them all, but it was comforting to know that he wasn’t alone in all of this, that he still had a parent who wanted to be there for him. Any that maybe, just maybe, his dad didn’t actually blame him for what had happened to Ben.

They stayed in that position even after Hal’s sobs had subsided, both of them eventually falling asleep. When dawn came and Tom woke up, he was surprised to see that Matt had joined them at some point in the night, curled up in Hal’s lap. Despite everything, Tom felt content. For right now, this was enough.

He had two of his sons with him, and they were safe, they were together, and they were all looking out for each other. He was determined to die before he let anything happen to them.

And just like he’d told Hal, he was determined that he would get Ben back; it couldn’t be possible that he was lost forever. Tom refused to let himself sink into the hopelessness that had been threatening to overwhelm him. He still had so much to fight for, and he would never give up on Ben. He would never give up on putting his family back together, and keeping them all safe.

 

***

 

A couple of days later, Tom was growing desperate. They were _hungry_. Whether they were avoiding large groups of people, or large groups of aliens, it was growing more and more dangerous outside. He and Hal were taking turns carrying Matt, but he wasn’t sure how much longer they’d be able to keep going. The little scraps of food they did find were never enough. Tom wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He’d noticed Hal giving him a worried look, and knew he was aware of the problem too, but he was determined to figure it out on his own.  Tom knew he’d been leaning too heavily on Hal, he wanted to protect him going forward as much as he could. He would work something out. He had no other choice.

The shop they were searching was empty, that much Tom was sure of. Just like the one before had been, and the one before that. But as they went to leave, Tom discovered the shop was not quite as empty as he would have liked.

An armed man stood in the doorway, blocking their way out. Tom felt his heart miss a beat as he frantically looked around for something to use as a weapon to protect his boys. Finding nothing, he stepped in front of them, as Hal pulled Matt behind him. The man raised his hands, leaving the gun hanging at his side.

“Sorry if I startled you. I’m not here to hurt you,” He said slowly, and Tom was surprised to see that he was smiling; not a menacing smile, but a seemingly genuine smile, “My name’s Anthony. I’m with the Massachusetts Militia, we’re a part of the Resistance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... the Resistance! They've found them!  
> We're nearing the end now, just a couple more chapters to wind things up! But we'll be meeting the other characters from the Pilot very very soon! :)


	14. Chapter 14

It had taken Tom a long time to trust Anthony’s word. At first he’d been convinced that he was either crazy, or trying to lead them into some sort of trap. But as he’d explained just what he meant by the ‘Massachusetts Militia’, and just how many people had gathered there so far, Tom hadn’t been able to fight the spark of hope that flared in his heart. This was something he hadn’t dared to let himself dream of being a reality, even if history had taught him that it was inevitable for people to band together and fight back. As Anthony had described the way they made sure everyone had enough to eat, and that the doctors – actual doctors – had enough medicine, Tom had realised he had no choice but to trust him. He had to believe that people, some of them at least, were good, and would work together like this. What had sealed the deal had been Matt’s face at the thought of the steady supply of food and when Anthony had explained that they were trying to set up some sort of school. It sounded like a real community. Hal had whispered that he thought they should go for it, and Tom had nodded his agreement, and told Anthony they’d be happy to go with him.

He was still a little unsure about the gun Anthony was carrying, but he’d explained that they were run by long serving army personnel and veterans, and that he himself was a police officer, and Tom had felt somewhat reassured. It sounded like those with guns were properly trained, and it might actually be a good thing to have some guns around for protection, even if he hated them himself.

By the end of that day Tom was barely able to believe how thankful he was that Anthony had found them. It was just as he’d described. There were people, so many people, happily working together. Maybe even more than a thousand of them. Upon their arrival they’d given their names, and stated who they’d lost. Tom’s unspoken hope that Ben might have been there waiting for them was quickly dashed, but he knew they were in a much better position to find him now that they were part of a group. They were assigned specifically to the Second Massachusetts, or the 2nd Mass as Anthony put it, and Tom was pleased to find that it was Anthony’s group too. They’d been given a small space to call their own, with sleeping bags and a couple of pillows, and Anthony showed them an area where they could wash and get clean clothes. They were then taken to the dining area where they were served actual cooked food. It wasn’t luxury, not by the standards of the old world, but it felt like it to Tom, Hal and Matt. For the first time since Rebecca’s death, Matt seemed a little more like his old self, as he happily chatted to the people they met.

After dinner, Anthony introduced them to some of the 2nd Mass, and Tom was amazed to see so many people all happy to greet them. They talked for a while with Dai and Click, before Anthony took them to the medical area to introduce them to the 2nd Mass’ doctor, Anne Glass. Tom felt an immediate connection with the doctor; he could see that she’d been through a lot, and lost a lot, just like he had. But she was still smiling, still working and she made Matt smile easily. And she made Tom laugh, too. It felt so surreal that this was happening, that there were people talking and joking and being human. It was almost like before.

While they were talking Tom noticed that Hal had wandered off and felt a momentary panic at not knowing exactly where his son was. He had to resist rolling his eyes when he saw that Hal was talking with a blonde girl, who Tom noted was quite pretty. Even the apocalypse couldn’t change _everything_. The humour left him when, with a jolt, he noticed that the girl was armed; she must have been about Hal’s age. _Logically_ Tom knew that kids their age had fought in wars throughout all of time, but he’d not let himself contemplate his own children being in that position. He wouldn’t let it happen, not yet at least. When Hal left the girl and came back over to them, Tom had raised his eyebrows at his son.

“Making friends I see?” He’d asked, unable to resist a small grin. Hal had looked a little embarrassed.

“That’s Karen.” He’d answered, “She offered to teach me to shoot.”

“Not going to happen.” Tom spoke without thinking, “You are too young.” He’d just found his sons somewhere he hoped was safe, he wouldn’t let Hal into another dangerous situation. Not if he could help it. And not while he didn’t know where Ben was. “And that’s final.” Tom added as he saw Hal open his mouth to protest. Surprisingly, Hal didn’t push the point, although Tom saw him looking over at Karen.

Just then Anthony had reappeared, with two older looking military men. He introduced them as Captain Jameson, who was in charge of the 2nd Mass, and Captain Weaver, who was his second in command. Jameson only stayed long enough to introduce himself, but Weaver stuck around, saying that they always had need of more fighters. However, when Tom told him that he was a University professor and wasn’t sure how much help he’d be, Weaver had lost all interest and had abruptly walked away; thankfully he’d been the only noticeably rude person Tom had met. Anne had told him not to worry about Weaver, and had explained that they’d be sorted into roles over the next few days.

Before too long most people were settling down for the night, and so Tom and his boys went back to their area and made themselves comfortable. It was strange to suddenly be surrounded by so many people, after so much time being on their own. But Tom couldn’t help but feel that it was a good thing.

“I like it here.” Matt declared as he lay down next to Hal, who grinned at him.

“Me too buddy!” Hal agreed.

Tom smiled, pleased to see them looking relaxed and happy. Tonight he could rest without worrying about keeping watch; well, he could _try_ to rest without worrying.

“I just wish Ben was here.” Matt added, sounding sad again, “And mom.” Tom felt the smile fall from his face as he caught Hal’s eye, but he moved closer to Matt, so he was sandwiched between the two of them.

“So do we, Matt,” Tom agreed, “But we’ve still got each other.”

 

***

 

It was surprising how quickly they fell into a routine with the militia, how quickly it became the new normal. There was a real sense of hope, a sense of community and of having something to fight for beyond their family, something to fight for that had a real chance of surviving. It was a sense of hope that Tom had desperately needed, and he was doing all he could to instil it into his sons. He’d quickly made real friends; he loved talking to Dai and Anthony, although Dai rarely contributed much to the conversations, and he spent hours talking with Anne. Hearing how she’d lost her husband and son had brought home to Tom just how lucky he was to still have half of his family with him. She had become the person he could go to for advice, and he hoped she felt the same way about him. It was a true friendship. Matt enjoyed playing with the other kids, but Tom had noticed a change in him. He would spend as much time as he could around Tom or Hal, and had really taken to Anne. Hal disappeared for long periods of the day, and Tom was fairly certain he was with Karen. He wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to know what they were getting up to, and Hal grew fairly awkward and taciturn if he brought it up.

Tom had warily agreed to learn to shoot. He’d happily volunteered to join scouting parties and to take part in food runs, and had quickly learnt how to ride a motorbike, but it had taken him some time to come around to the idea of learning how to shoot a gun. His fiercely held beliefs from before the invasion were hard to shake off, but eventually he accepted the necessity. The world was no longer safe without a gun. He knew he’d eventually have to allow Hal to learn to shoot, but he wanted to hold off on that for as long as possible; especially as once Hal learnt to shoot, he’d be desperate to go out with Tom on the missions, and Tom wasn’t ready to risk that. Not that he’d ever be ready to risk that. He knew the day would come soon, but he wanted to wait as long as he could.

For the most part, Tom avoided Captain Weaver. The man was difficult and made no attempt to get aquatinted with the ‘civilian’ element of the group. As long as they had minimal contact, Tom was able to get by; although their difference of opinion on most subjects led to more than one clash between the two. Captain Jameson was slightly easier to talk to, but he was always so busy planning the next food run or organising the soldiers that their paths didn’t often cross.

Whenever Tom went out he made sure to keep an eye out for Ben. On their second day with the group Anne had confirmed one of his worst fears; that removing the ‘harness’ – which was what they called the device attached to the children’s backs – killed the kids, and that they had yet to figure out how to take them off safely. Tom had been forced to accept that whilst they couldn’t be sure, if Ben was alive he was mostly likely with the ‘Skitters’ and the ‘Mechs’ - the militia’s name for the green aliens and robots. Tom had to believe that Ben was alive, and that they would get him back. He had to believe that they’d discover a way to save him from the alien control. They _had_ to.

 

***

 

A couple of weeks into their time with the Militia and Tom was looking for Hal. He wanted him to watch Matt while he filled a last minute slot on a food run, but he had disappeared yet again, with Karen no doubt. Tom wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to walk in on, but he knew that Hal had seemed happier since they’ve joined the militia and he knew Karen was a big part of that. However, the scene Tom walked in on was the last thing he expected, but probably something he should have realised. Hal had given up on the idea of learning to fight far too easily.

Which, of course, was why Tom found him and Karen shooting at targets on trees. Tom felt his heart lurch at the sight of his son holding a gun, aiming and hitting his target perfectly as Karen applauded. It was bound to happen eventually in this new world, but Tom couldn’t fight how much it hurt that Hal had learnt to fire a gun, and that he’d done it without him. He’d _lied_ to him about it. Or neglected to mention it. Tom felt a swirl of emotions flood through him; anger, sadness, disappointment and terror. Terror that Hal would soon be in a position to use that gun for real. Hal was old enough, technically, to be allowed to fight but that didn’t stop Tom from wanting to protect his child. Tom was still deciding exactly how to react when Hal looked over and noticed him. Tom saw him go pale, and he walked over to them.

“Dad, I can explain,” Hal started before Tom got a chance to speak, “I know you don’t think I am, but I’m old enough to fight. Karen’s my age and she goes out on food runs and scouting missions and she stays safe and she’s careful. I want to _help_. You go out, you do it and you were a teacher. I just want to be able to help. Maybe if I’d had a gun and known how to use it, I’d have been able to protect Ben. But I didn’t, and I failed him. I won’t fail Matt. Or you. I’m doing this, and you can’t stop me. The world we live in is not the world we thought it would be, and this is the right thing for me to do. You always taught me to do the right thing.” Hal’s tone was as determined as ever, but Tom could tell that he was worried he’d be angry. He wondered if his son had prepared that little speech in advance.

Tom turned to Karen, “Could you excuse us for a moment please?” She looked at Hal for a moment before nodding, and starting to walk away.

“He’s really good.” She called, turning back towards them, “He’d be a big help out there.” Tom waited until she’d walked out of earshot before turning back to his son, who was looking at him expectantly. Tom gave him a stern look, realising he had no choice but to accept that this was happening. Hal was old enough to make his own decisions, and Tom respected him enough to accept them, even if it killed him to do so.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked as a look of surprise crossed Hal’s face, “You don’t have to fight, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I know I’d rather you stayed safe here.”

“But that’s just it, if we don’t go out there to get supplies, no one will be safe in here. If we aren’t prepared to fight, then no one will be safe. It’s important.”

Tom was struck, not for the first time, by how much Hal had matured since the invasion. He’d grown up completely, and Tom couldn’t help but feel proud of him even as it terrified him. It was clear to him that Hal wasn’t doing this because he thought it would be _fun,_ and he wasn’t doing it just to impress Karen. He was doing what he thought was right, just like Tom was.

“Alright, I’ll allow it.” Tom conceded, raising a finger as Hal grinned at him, “But you’ll be under my supervision, at first at least. You don’t leave my sight unless I say. Agreed?” He would feel much better about this if he could keep an eye on Hal at all times. Hal nodded eagerly.

“Agreed!” He paused, his grin falling a little, “Would this be a good time to mention that Karen also taught me to ride a motorbike?” Yet another of Tom’s pre-invasion _never will I allow my children near_ items. Tom shook himself. If Hal was going to be out there risking his life against _aliens,_ a motorbike was the least of his worries. He decided to change to course of the conversation.

“So, Karen’s been teaching you a lot, has she?” He asked, his tone teasing, “What else have you two been up to?”

“What?” Hal spluttered, “Nothing!” He insisted, but he refused to make eye contact with his dad.

“What do you think of her?” Tom continued, smiling, “I think she _likes_ you. _‘He’s really good, he’d be a big help out there_.’ Is there something I should know?”

“We’re friends, dad.” Hal answered, although Tom could see he was going a little red in the face, “I’m going to go find Matt.” Hal finished, starting to walk away from his dad, shaking his head a little.

Tom let his smile fall as he watched his son go. Rebecca was gone, Ben was missing, Hal was going to risk his life fighting and Matt was growing up surrounded by all of this. And yet it was a new normal that he was starting to get used to; he was making jokes and feeling somewhat relaxed. They were all making friends and that was wonderful. But he was beginning to forget what it had been like before, and that thought scared him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... we're meeting the rest of the characters from the Pilot! Hope I've done them justice!
> 
> I'll be posting the last 2 chapters on Friday! Can't believe we're nearly finished! Almost caught up with the Pilot's events!


	15. Chapter 15

It was a mission like any other. Their objective was to scout for food, report any sightings of the enemy and to look for human survivors to bring in. So far it had gone without a hitch. Their team worked well together. Tom, Hal, Karen, Anthony, Dai, Click and a boy called Jimmy. Tom had initially been completely against the idea of Jimmy coming with them; he’d been so hesitant to let Hal fight, and Jimmy was only around Ben’s age. But the boy had been determined to do it. He’d lost everyone he had and, once Anne had pointed out to Tom that being allowed to fight gave Jimmy a purpose in his life, he’d agreed. There was an unspoken agreement among the fighters; if things went south, make sure Jimmy was safe. Jimmy and Hal and Karen, really, as the other fighters felt it was important to keep the younger members of the 2nd Mass safe, even if Hal and Karen had proven themselves to be capable fighters. So they took Jimmy with them on missions that they expected to be safe and uneventful.

Suddenly a scream pierced the air, coming from a few streets ahead. They were all away from their bikes, investigating an abandoned shop for any provisions. Tom motioned for them to all gather together to quickly plan what to do, but at the sound of another scream Hal was on his bike, shouting “Come on!” to the others. Tom resisted the urge to scream at his son’s recklessness, as the rest of them frantically jumped onto their bikes to follow.

Hal rounded the corner, and was met with the sight of a girl not much older than him facing off against a skitter. She was alone and looked like she hadn’t eaten in a long time. Hal remembered what that had been like. Both the girl and the skitter looked up at the noise from Hal’s bike, and Hal knew he didn’t have long to act. He couldn’t fire on the skitter because he’d risk hitting the girl, so instead he did the only thing he could think of. He rode straight for them as fast as he could, laughing as he saw the skitter actually back away. He could hear his dad shouting his name, as he and the others opened fire on the skitter now that it was at a safe distance. He jumped off his bike and knelt down next to the girl, who’d fallen in shock as the bike had plunged towards them and was holding on to what looked like a crucifix around her neck. He held out a hand to her, pulling her to feet.

“We’ve got to go.” He said urgently, knowing that skitter reinforcements could be there at any moment. The girl nodded, and climbed onto the bike behind him. When Hal made it back to the others he could see from his dad’s face that they were going to have a talk about Hal’s actions today, but feeling the girl alive and safe sitting behind him, Hal couldn’t help but think he’d done the right thing. They rode in silence back to the base, knowing they’d drawn too much attention. When they arrived Tom went to find Jameson and Weaver to fill them in on what had happened. He stopped and quickly welcomed the girl to the Massachusetts Militia, and the girl gave him a weak smile in return as she looked around, taking in her new surroundings.

Slowly Hal helped her off of the bike; once they were standing she kept hold of his hand.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him, “You saved my life.”

Hal grinned at her, “I’m Hal. Hal Mason.”

“Lourdes Delgado.” She shook his hand, and finally let go.

“This is the Massachusetts Militia, we’re a sort of resistance. But we’re also a community.” Hal explained, before they were joined by Tom and Anne.

“Anthony’s filling in the captains, but I thought Anne should look over-” Tom paused realising he didn’t know what to call her.

“Lourdes.” Hal finished for him. Tom looked back at Lourdes, noticing that she was still staring at Hal in unmasked adoration; she’d clearly appreciated him riding in to her rescue, even if it had been beyond reckless.

“Welcome Lourdes.” Anne gave her a big smile, “I’m a doctor. Would you mind if I checked you over?” That seemed to draw Lourdes’ attention away from Hal.

“I was freshmen pre-med at Wellesley!” She exclaimed excitedly.

Anne’s smile widened, and she led Lourdes away saying that she’d make sure she was in the 2nd Mass, and how helpful it would be to have another pair of hands. Finally, Tom turned to look back at Hal.

“I was stupid, I know.” Hal spoke before he could. Tom fixed him with a stare, and Hal’s gaze went to the ground.

“You were, and you know you need to slow down and think. Just because it worked out this time doesn’t mean it will next time. Listen to me.” Hal nodded, looking up as Tom placed a hand on his shoulder, “But well done today. That was very brave.” Hal smiled, but his reply was cut off by a shout from across the room.

“Dad! Hal!” Matt’s cries reached them just before he did, throwing his arms around them, squeezing tight, unable to hide his relief that they had returned safely.

 

***

 

Things had seemed to be going well for the Masons, and for the Massachusetts Militia. Their numbers had continued to grow, and their community was thriving. Hal and Karen were together and seemed happy, and Hal’s skills as a fighter continued to impress. Tom was surprising himself with his tactical ability, drawing from his years of historical learning; even if Hal did keep asking him to stop with the _embarrassing_ historical anecdotes. Matt seemed happier, going to regular sessions with Anne and playing with the other kids, even getting the occasional lesson. They’d actually managed to throw Hal a birthday party, and for a moment it had seemed like everything was as it should be. Then he’d overheard Hal telling Karen how hard it was to celebrate without his mom and Ben, but that he hadn’t wanted to spoil the party for everyone else and he’d found a secluded corner to sit and cry.

Tom felt like he was actually fitting in, they all were. Lourdes was proving a capable student with Anne, and the two were growing inseparable. Lourdes’ obvious crush on Hal did not seem to be going anywhere, despite Karen’s glares. Tom wasn’t sure why he was surprised that teen drama had survived the apocalypse.

And Anne. Anne had been the greatest surprise of all. Tom would never have expected to find such a good friend through all of this. She was someone to lean on, to be there for, to laugh with. She was so good with Matt, and with Hal. They could talk together, really talk, about everything that they had lost, and everything they still had to fight for. Her friendship was helping to keep him going, to keep him strong for his boys and for the 2nd Mass.

It had all been going well, but Tom knew that it wasn’t going to last. Food was once again growing scarce, and attacks from the enemy were increasing. Rumours were going around that they were going to move out soon, maybe even separate into their smaller units. He knew that it would be the only way, and might be their only hope for survival, but he worried about leaving Boston, because that would mean leaving Ben. Then again, maybe being on the move would make it more likely for them to find him.

The fighters of the 2nd Mass were going on a food run tonight. A small group, including Hal and Tom, were going to look for food, whilst the rest, commanded by Captain Jameson himself, maintained a barricade to protect their retreat. They’d done it before, but Tom knew that it was growing more and more dangerous out there. He was nervous about taking Hal, but he felt better knowing that he’d be the one looking out for his son. He knew Hal would look out for him too. They were leaving in the morning to set up for the night, and leaving was always the hardest part.

“Do you _have_ to go?” Matt asked, his tone pleading.

“You know we do,” Tom answered truthfully, “But we’ll be back.”

“Come on, you want food don’t you?” Hal appeared, ruffling Matt’s hair.

Matt nodded, “Make sure you come back.” He decided he’d wait up for them tonight, so that he’d know as soon as possible that they were okay.

“You’ve got your session with Dr Glass today, don’t you Matt?” Tom asked, thankful that Matt would have something to take his mind off of everything. He was also thankful that Matt had someone to talk to, and he knew Anne was invaluable for the way she could get through to Matt and the other children.

“Okay 2nd Mass, time to move out!” Came a shout from outside, and Matt threw his arms around them, holding on as tightly as he could, before he let go.

“Be safe.” He told them seriously.

“We’ll be back before you know it buddy,” Hal grinned at him, pulling him close for one last hug.

“See you tonight Matt.” Tom kept his smile as bright as he could as he waved goodbye to his youngest son. They’d see him in a few hours. It would all be fine. Hal sensed his dad’s unease, and hid his own behind a grin, commenting that tonight would be a piece of cake.

Matt watched sadly as his dad and Hal walked out of the doors. Hal, laughing, said something to Tom that made him shake his head. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever see them again. He spent most of the day sitting by a window; he knew that they weren’t expected to be back until late in the night, but he wanted to watch for them anyway. He only left his spot to get something to eat, then made sure to come right back. As it started to get dark outside Anne approached him, her usual kind smile on her face. She made Matt feel safe and she took away some of the ache of losing his mom; he hoped his mom wouldn’t mind that he thought that.

“Are you ready Matt?” Anne asked, and Matt nodded, taking her offered hand. As she led him towards her makeshift office with its paper and crayons, Matt turned back, checking one last time that there was no sign of his dad and brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I’ve done the 2nd Mass justice – I just wanted to introduce the other characters and give a taste of the first weeks/months with the Militia after the core of the story was finished! Next chapter is the epilogue!!


	16. Epilogue

_I was in school when the ships came_

_They were really big, and they said that we weren’t gonna attack them with the nuclear bombs because they mighta wanted to be friends_

_But they didn’t want to be friends_

_Not at all_

_And then there was a bright light that makes, like, all electronics stop working_

_Computers_

_Radios_

_Satellites_

_Cars_

_TVs_

_Everything_

_They blew up army bases, ships_

_The Navy, submarines and all the soldiers are gone_

_Now moms and dads have to fight_

_After that they blew up all the capitols_

_New York_

_Washington DC_

_Paris_

_All the major cities, then they came_

_There were millions of them_

_Trillions_

_Everywhere_

_We called them skitters, and mechs_

_They killed grown-ups and they catch kids_

_They put on harness things, they put it on kids and control them_

_They say it hurts a lot_

_My parents went out to get some help one day, and I know they’re gone, they’re dead_

Listen, it’s okay to cry. Drawing and talking about it, it can make you feel better. Matt, what have you drawn here?

_My mom, she was going to get food once and never came back, and then we found her, she was dead. And then dad said we had to leave our house, and Ben was over at Nick’s house and we think they might have got him, but we’re not for sure._

And this drawing?

_That’s with me, and dad, and Hal._

It’s alright. You and your dad and Hal are okay.

_Well, they were okay this morning, but I don’t know about now. They’re fighting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… When Skies Fall has come to an end, we’ve followed the Masons from the first sighting of the Espheni right up to the start of the pilot!  
> Thank you to anyone whose stuck with this fic, and with me – I really hope you enjoyed it!  
> And thank you to Falling Skies for being such an important part of my life!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!   
> I've done my best to follow the show - I rewatched every episode and noted down every pre-invasion/invasion detail they provided, and tried to work in as much in as possible! I'm English, so I'm sorry if anything I've written sounds too English - you have no idea how hard it was for me to type "Mom" and "Math class"!
> 
> A couple of little things - Hal's age is all over the place in the show, so I just picked an age and went with it here! Also, in the Pilot Matt states that when the invasion came and Rebecca died, they left their house but that Ben was at Nick's house and they don't know what happened to him - later in the show, Ben and Hal mention how Ben was with them when Rebecca died - so, I've worked both strands in, and I hope it works okay!
> 
> I started this years ago on ff.net, but I finally finished it! I'll be uploading the first 9 chapters here, and then once a week until it's done!


End file.
